The New York Yankees will almost surely be very active before the MLB trade deadline, as their recent stretch of poor play has indicated that they obviously need some help.
While third base is the most blatant need for the Yankees at the moment, Bob Nightengale of USA Today does not think that would represent their most prominent target.
Instead, Nightengale feels that Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara would comprise the team’s No. 1 option between now and July 31.
“Their ultimate prize could be Alcantara, giving them a powerful rotation, particularly when Gerrit Cole returns next year,” Nightengale wrote.
Of course, the question is whether or not New York would be willing to meet the Marlins’ steep asking price for Alcantara, who is under team control through 2027 and appears to be turning it around after a very rough start in his first year back from Tommy John surgery.
While the 29-year-old owns a 6.69 ERA on the season overall, he has posted a 2.74 ERA over his last four starts and clearly seems to be rediscovering his groove.
When healthy, Alcantara is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Case in point, he won the NL Cy Young award in unanimous fashion back in 2022 after pitching to the tune of a 2.28 ERA.
The Yankees do have several prospects that would almost certainly interest Miami in a potential Alcantara trade. Namely, Spencer Jones, George Lombard, Everson Pereira and rising arm Carlos Lagrange are pieces that would probably catch the Marlins’ attention.
However, it seems rather unlikely that New York would want to part with either Jones or Lombard, which could potentially make any trade discussions with Miami a nonstarter.
The Yankees are without Cole for the season, and Luis Gil has yet to return due to a lat strain. Ryan Yarbrough also recently hit the 15-day injured list as a result of an oblique issue, so the Bronx Bombers are definitely hurting for starting pitching at the moment.
But would general manager Brian Cashman, who is notoriously stingy with prospects, really be willing to surrender a massive haul for Alcantara?
