The trade deadline picture is already starting to take shape, and two names are drawing attention for very different reasons.
For the Marlins, the question is whether a strong run has changed their thinking. Miami is six games above .500, owns a positive run differential and sits just percentage points out of playoff position in the National League.
They also blasted through June at 20-6 while outscoring opponents by 53 runs. That kind of surge has put them in a tricky spot: they may not be in position to buy aggressively, but they also may not be eager to sell.
That matters most because Sandy Alcantara could stay put. ESPN reports that the Marlins may resist moving the ace and former Cy Young winner, along with others, heading into the deadline. In a market that already looks light on obvious sellers because of the messy wild-card races in both leagues, keeping Alcantara off the table would be a major development.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are taking a different approach with Dustin May. St.
Louis is still in the thick of things despite entering the year in a rebuild, but the club is not expected to make a major push to add at the deadline. Instead, it could end up on the selling side even if it stays close to playoff position.
May has given the Cardinals a strong return in terms of underlying performance, velocity, stuff, health and durability, and he was viewed as a trade candidate from the start. According to the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, “By the end of this month, the Cardinals will entertain trade offers for the right-hander, who is on a one-year deal with a $20 million mutual option. Whether they trade him will depend on where the team is in the standings and the offers they receive, and both of those elements will hinge on his performance.”
May turns 29 in early September, and unless both sides somehow pick up that mutual option for 2027, he would be a rental.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Face A Tough Deadline Call On A Key Starter
If the Red Sox cannot land Tarik Skubal, the trade market still offers a few arms that would change the conversation at the deadline. Joe Ryan stands out as one of the more attractive possibilities because of the control he brings through 2027, while Freddy Peralta offers the kind of pure stuff that can still make a contender dream on upside even after an uneven season. Around those names, clubs are weighing not just talent, but cost, timing and whether a seller is actually willing to part with a starter who can anchor a rotation.
That is where the Sandy Alcantara angle gets interesting for Miami watchers, even if the bigger picture is still fluid. Alcantara belongs in the same broad class of high-end starters teams would love to chase, but the Marlins have played well enough recently to complicate the usual deadline math and make their direction harder to read. For a club that has spent a lot of time in the rumor mix, that uncertainty may be the most important part of the story right now. [Read more 🡒]
Max Meyers Historic Run Ended In A Game Marlins Shouldve Taken
Max Meyers standout run finally ran into trouble at Coors Field, where the Marlins dropped a 6-3 decision to the Rockies and saw their young right-hander absorb his first loss of the 2026 season. Miami had a chance to come away with a game it probably should have taken, but Colorado got enough timely production from Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman to keep the pressure on throughout the night. Even with the defeat, Meyers season numbers still looked strong, as he continued to give Miami a frontline look every time he took the mound.
The bigger concern for the Marlins was the way the game slipped away after they had a path to control it. Meyer worked six innings and the final line did not fully reflect how the outing unfolded, while a defensive miscue helped open the door for Colorados go-ahead rally. Goodman kept adding to a powerful stretch at the plate, and Miami never quite found the answer after falling behind, leaving Meyers historic start intact in all but the one detail the Marlins had spent all year avoiding. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins May Be Building A Rotation The NL Wont Want Later
With a 46-41 record and a spot 5.5 games back of Atlanta, Miami has spent enough time in the race to make the rest of the National League pay attention. The rotation has been a big reason why, with Max Meyer setting the tone and Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara already in place, giving the Marlins a core that looks a lot sturdier than the one they carried into the season.
Even with that foundation, the biggest question is still the fifth spot, where Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips, Robbie Snelling and some low-priced free-agent possibilities are all in the mix. And while Thomas White is not going to factor into the 2026 picture, the organization still sees him as part of the long-term answer, which is why this group can look more dangerous down the line than it does right now. [Read more 🡒]