Jeff Passan made waves this week when he reported that the Chicago Cubs have been connected to Miami Marlins Starting Pitcher Sandy Alcantara in trade talks. The ESPN baseball insider noted the injuries on the Chicago staff and the likelihood that the Marlins would be willing to move Alcantara for prospects as the reasoning behind the connection. With Justin Steele out for the season, and Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad on the injured list, a move to bring in Alcantara could be the missing piece for the Cubs to ascend to the top contender of the National League.
While the trade deadline is still two months away, the rumblings about possible moves are well underway. As of now, Alcantara is the best available arm projected to be on the market. With a front office regime in a lame duck year and a team in first place in the NL, the Chicago Cubs may be the frontrunner to land the former Cy Young Award winner. With the incentives lining up and now the reporting from Passan, a trade between the Marlins and Cubs centered around Alcantara could be in the cards later this summer.
Chicago Cubs Possible Suitor for Sandy Alcantara
The Chicago Cubs have dealt with their fair share of starting pitching injuries so far in 2025. Justin Steele is out for the year with an elbow injury, and Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad have yet to return from the injured list. As the season goes on the trade deadline gets closer and closer, and trade speculation for buyers and sellers is heating up, almost a full two months ahead of the deadline. The Miami Marlins’ ace Sandy Alcantara might be the first domino on the starting pitching market to fall and the Chicago Cubs have now been linked to him in trade speculation by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
In an article published on espn.com, Passan wrote “Among Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon, the Cubs have a perfectly OK starting rotation to take into a playoff series. Considering the lineups they could face in the NL playoffs — the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, and Diamondbacks, among others — OK might not be enough. And that’s not to say Alcántara would suddenly morph into a world-beater once he put on a Cubs uniform. He’s just the kind of guy on whom teams in need take a risk.”
Passan went on to say, “The calculus here could change if Valdez or Gallen becomes available, but in terms of pitchers teams know will be available, Alcántara, even a slightly diminished version, is the best. With two more years of club control beyond this season, he slots nicely into the front of a rotation that lost Justin Steele to Tommy John surgery. And don’t forget: The Cubs had a deal in place for Jesús Luzardo before medicals scuttled it. The teams are very familiar with one another’s systems, and that always helps when trying to facilitate a trade.”
Making a Trade Happen
If any team is going to be a viable fit for Alcantara’s services, the Chicago Cubs fit the bill. Between their injuries and expendable prospects, they have the right motivation to get a deal done for the 29-year-old right-hander. With Steele out for the year, a spot is open in the starting rotation. Up until now, it seemed that Cade Horton was a suitable replacement for Steele. Ben Brown may be on the verge of being moved back to the bullpen if he continues to be volatile as a starter, which could create an opening for the 2022 Cy Young Award winner.
To acquire Alcantara, the Chicago Cubs will likely have to pony up a haul of prospects. The Marlins will have a steep asking price for their ace despite his slow start to 2025. The Cubs have expendable prospects in the organization that they could include in a possible trade, Owen Cassie and Moises Ballesteros chiefly among them. These prospects have upside for the major league squad in the long run but could serve the team well as trade chips this summer.
If the Chicago Cubs decide to go all in this season, a move to get Alcantara may be the path forward and that path became clearer with the article from Passan this week. The deadline is still almost two months away, but with the Cubs shaping up to be a top contender in the NL this season. They are exploring options early to get ready for a major playoff push in 2025.
