The Marlins aren’t looking to move Sandy Alcantara this offseason, and that alone tells you how Miami sees its pitching situation. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reported that the club has no plans to trade the right-hander, with the likeliest outcome being that he’s back in a Marlins uniform next year.
That lines up with how Miami has handled Alcantara for years. His name has come up in trade chatter repeatedly, but the Marlins have consistently kept him while sending out other arms. Owner Bruce Sherman said in July that he views Alcantara as a franchise icon, and the list of pitchers who have gone elsewhere while Alcantara stayed put includes Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, Trevor Rogers, Jesús Luzardo and Pablo López.
There’s also a practical side to it. Alcantara is owed $21 million next season, which is a hefty number for Miami, but the organization has almost nothing else committed on the books.
He was set to finish out the final guaranteed year of his deal in 2026, though the Marlins can keep him for 2027 with a $21 million club option or let him reach free agency with a $2 million buyout. Once that option decision is made, the ledger is still extremely light, aside from the $3 million the team owes Giancarlo Stanton.
Miami’s lack of long-term commitments has become a defining part of its roster construction. The Marlins haven’t signed a free agent to a deal longer than one year since the two-year contract they gave Jean Segura for 2023-24. Alcantara’s 2021 extension is the most recent multi-year deal the club has signed, apart from a two-year pact for Richard Bleier for 2022-23.
The rotation picture for next year is already starting to take shape around Alcantara. Eury Pérez and Max Meyer are expected to be part of that group, with Janson Junk, Tyler Phillips, Ryan Gusto and others possible candidates to fill out the staff.
The bigger question may be what happens beyond 2026. Alcantara will be entering his age-31 season, and while the Marlins have not commented on the possibility of an extension, Alcantara said a couple of days ago that he was interested in staying a Marlin for life, per Kevin Barral of Fish on First.
What Miami has on its hands is a pitcher whose peak was elite, even if he’s not performing at that same level now. Alcantara won the National League Cy Young in 2022 with a 2.28 ERA, but his results have trended downward since then. His ERA climbed to 4.14 in 2023, he missed 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and over the past two seasons back on the mound he has been more of a mid-rotation arm.
In 2025, his 5.36 ERA was higher than this year’s 3.87, but the underlying indicators went the other way. His strikeout rate fell from 19.1% last year to 17.1% this year, and his ground-ball rate dipped from 46.5% to 41.9%.
The ERA improvement was largely tied to last year’s 61.9% strand rate being unusually low before it moved to a more normal 73.4% this year. Even with the better ERA, his SIERA moved up from 4.38 to 4.55.
For all of that, the Marlins still value him as a stabilizing force in a roster that has been turned over heavily in recent years. He has been a workhorse in the rotation, and late in the season he even dabbled in closing, apparently as a way to manage his workload after already going beyond 200 innings. Alcantara and the team are open to continuing that approach, with other pitchers potentially joining in as well.
That part is unusual, but not unprecedented. Starters normally throw a bullpen session between outings, and clubs have occasionally had pitchers effectively do that in a game setting, usually in a must-win spot late in the year or in the playoffs. The Marlins seem willing to push that idea further during the regular season if the pitchers involved are on board.
As for the rest of Miami’s offseason, Jackson reported that the club expects to be moderately active in free agency, regardless of whether the next collective bargaining agreement includes a salary floor. “Moderate” leaves plenty of room for interpretation, especially for a team that has spent so little in recent years.
But with so few contracts on the books, the Marlins at least have the flexibility to chase nearly anyone available. What that looks like in practice is the next question.
In Other News...
Marlins Just Made A Hitting Change Fans Will Debate
The Marlins are making a notable change in the dugouts support system, moving on from hitting coach Pedro Guerrero while keeping the rest of their 2026 coaching staff intact. Manager Clayton McCullough will remain in place, as will assistant hitting coaches Chris Hess and Corbin Day, so the organization is clearly choosing continuity in most areas even as it looks for a different direction with the offense.
President of baseball operations Peter Bendix framed the decision as a search for a new voice in the hitting space and a stronger alignment across the department. For a Miami club that has spent plenty of time trying to build a more consistent offensive identity, the move invites the usual debate: whether a fresh perspective can unlock progress, or whether changing one piece of the staff is enough to matter at all. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Already Face Tough Roster Calls If They Want To Contend
The Marlins are heading into an offseason where the front office will have to balance patience with urgency, and that usually means some difficult decisions on the pitching staff. Miami is expected to look for ways to improve its starting rotation and raise the overall level of the roster, with the organization trying to position itself as a Wild Card contender by 2027.
Janson Junk, Max Meyer and Bradley Blalock all appear to be in the mix as possible trade or release candidates as the club sorts through performance concerns and roster construction. For a small-market team trying to follow the model of other clubs that have stayed competitive, the challenge is not just adding talent but creating room for it, and the Marlins may have to make a few uncomfortable calls before they can take the next step. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Suddenly Have A Center Field Concern They Cant Ignore
Jakob Marsees first full major league season gave the Marlins a clearer look at what they have in center field, and now it comes with a medical checkup attached. Team president Peter Bendix said Marsee will visit Dr. Keith Meister after dealing with left elbow discomfort late in the 2026 season, a note that lands at an awkward time for a player who was on the field for most of the year and gave Miami steady defense in the middle of the diamond.
The Marlins do have alternatives if the issue lingers, with Esteury Ruiz, Javier Sanoja and prospect Cam Cannarella all in the mix for playing time. But center field looked like one of the few spots Miami could begin to stabilize around Marsee, so any offseason concern there adds a little more uncertainty to a roster still trying to sort out its next step. [Read more 🡒]