Would you do this trade to bring another Alcántara to Miami?

[Kevin Barral]

The Marlins and Cubs are logical trade partners this season. What could a deal between these two teams possibly look like?

Following the blockbuster trade sending Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres, the Miami Marlins have begun a rebuilding process once again. Arraez was the first to go, but certainly won't be the last. Particularly for Marlins players who are nearing free agency, it is just a matter of when they will be shopped to contending teams.

At 22-15 entering Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs should be aggressive buyers. Their main weakness to this point in the 2024 season has been the bullpen, which ranks 23rd in the majors in fWAR, 24th in ERA and 26th in walk rate. According to Dave Kaplan of ESPN 1000, the Marlins and Cubs "could be working on a deal for a reliever."

Miami closer Tanner Scott would make the most sense to be dealt if that is the case. Since being acquired by the Marlins in 2022, Scott has posted a 3.14 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 12.2 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 with 36 saves in 154 ⅔ innings pitched. Last year, he had one of the best seasons in franchise history for a relief pitcher. Earning a salary of $5.7M this season, the 29-year-old is a pending free agent.

 

Scott has frequently struggled with his control during his career, including at the start of this season. Fortunately for the Marlins, he's been more effective lately, striking out the side against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday while averaging 97.5 mph on his fastball. He has allowed earned runs in only two of 15 appearances in 2024.

Although the MLB trade deadline is nearly three months away, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix can maximize the return  for Scott by moving him earlier so that the acquiring team can use him more. Waiting until the deadline would allow Bendix to negotiate with more teams, but there is also the risk of an injury occurring between now and then.

The Cubs opened this season with Adbert Alzolay as their closer, but have since switched to Héctor Neris. Even if Scott doesn't move into that role, he can be used in high-leverage situations, especially when there are left-handed batters due up.

In the Arraez trade, the Marlins focused on quantity over quality. Let's imagine that for Scott, they try to get the best individual prospect possible.

Kevin Alcántara, 21, was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade. The Dominican outfielder has progressed to the Double-A level where he is currently slashing .220/.268/.385/.653 with four home runs, six RBIs and a 97 wRC+. He is ranked as Chicago's #6 prospect, according to Northside Baseball. (There is no relation between him and Sandy Alcantara, to be clear.)

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2019	16		2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk-FRk	NYY	41	174	161	26	41	8	3	1	19	5	3	8	36	.255	.305	.360	.665	58	3	4	0	1	0
2019	16	-3.5	Yankees East	GULF	Rk	NYY	32	128	123	19	32	5	2	1	13	3	3	3	27	.260	.289	.358	.647	44	3	2	0	0	0
2019	16	-1.8	Yankees	DOSL	FRk	NYY	9	46	38	7	9	3	1	0	6	2	0	5	9	.237	.348	.368	.716	14	0	2	0	1	0
2021	18		2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk	CHC	34	138	119	32	41	4	5	5	24	5	0	17	36	.345	.423	.588	1.012	70	2	0	1	1	0
2021	18	-1.9	Cubs	ACL	Rk	CHC	25	107	92	27	31	3	5	4	21	3	0	13	28	.337	.415	.609	1.024	56	2	0	1	1	0
2021	18	-2.0	Yankees	FCL	Rk	NYY	9	31	27	5	10	1	0	1	3	2	0	4	8	.370	.452	.519	.970	14	0	0	0	0	0
2022	19	-1.8	Myrtle Beach	CARL	A	CHC	112	495	428	76	117	19	6	15	85	14	3	55	123	.273	.360	.451	.811	193	6	6	0	6	1
2023	20		3 Teams	3 Lgs	A+-AA-Rk	CHC	102	435	391	71	111	26	3	13	71	15	4	36	105	.284	.345	.466	.810	182	6	3	0	5	0
2023	20	-3.7	Tennessee	SOUL	AA	CHC	5	21	16	4	4	1	0	1	4	0	0	3	7	.250	.381	.500	.881	8	1	1	0	1	0
2023	20	-2.3	South Bend	MIDW	A+	CHC	95	408	371	65	106	25	3	12	66	15	4	31	97	.286	.341	.466	.807	173	5	2	0	4	0
2023	20	0.1	Cubs	ACL	Rk	CHC	2	6	4	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	.250	.500	.250	.750	1	0	0	0	0	0
2023	20	-2.4	Mesa	AZFL	Fal		21	97	86	11	22	7	1	5	23	3	1	8	30	.256	.330	.535	.865	46	1	2	0	1	0
2024	21	-2.8	Tennessee	SOUL	AA	CHC	22	92	87	11	19	3	0	4	6	2	1	5	27	.218	.261	.391	.652	34	2	0	0	0	0

 

Standing at 6'6", 188 pounds, what stands out about Alcántara is the impressive speed and outfield defense he has at that size. He is capable of sticking in center, but his strong arm can profile him well in right field.

Along with Jakob Marsee (Arraez trade) and Shane Sasaki (Jon Berti trade), the addition of Alcántara would complete the makeover of the Marlins' Double-A outfield. The righty hitter has the potential to be a middle-of-the-order run producer in Miami as soon as 2025.

Would you be willing to trade Scott to the Cubs right now if Alcántara was being offered?

View full article

[Slacker Mills]

Sure wouldn't go for that. Scott is a good to great major leaguer. Alcantara is a longshot to even play at that level.

[PearsonsRBI]

At this point, yeah I would.  I love Tanner but he's of no use to us in this doomed season. I'm not certain if the Cubs themselves are the best choice for trade partner in terms of leverage, however. It's likely that at least one contender with a marquee closer loses them to injury--Royals with Chapman, Orioles with Kimbrel, etc. which would make them willing to overpay for Tanner.

I guess the question is whether or not we trust Tanner to stay good for that long lol