Tracking all Sandy Alcantara rumors counting down to 2025 trade deadline

The Miami Marlins have a long history of trading away their most accomplished players. Some of those decisions were more logical than others, but the pattern is undeniable. It could soon be Sandy Alcantara's turn in advance of Thursday's 6:00 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline.

The Marlins do not need to force a trade that they're uncomfortable with. Alcantara remains under contract for 2026 ($17.3M salary) and 2027 ($21M club option). There is a good chance that his performance and consistency will improve as he gets further removed from Tommy John surgery, though there's also some risk that injuries or natural decline could continue to erode his value.

The following deadline deals involving starting pitchers may have influenced Alcantara's market:

• Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays
• JP Sears to the San Diego Padres
• Michael Soroka to the Chicago Cubs

July 31, 10:46 a.m. ET

This would be a bizarre landing spot for Alcantara considering that the Astros have one of baseball's weakest farm systems. They don't have any Top 100 MLB prospects, according to Baseball America, and the guys who come closest to clearing that bar (INF Brice Matthews and OF Jacob Melton) are already on the Astros active roster.

Thinking outside the box, what about Spencer Arrighetti as the centerpiece of a package? Sidelined for most of 2025 by a broken thumb, he held down a rotation spot in Houston for most of last season and had some electric outings (4.53 ERA and 4.18 FIP in 145.0 IP overall). Arrighetti is still pre-arbitration eligible and under club control through 2029.

July 30, 3:15 p.m. ET

July 30, 1:31 p.m. ET

Take Jim Bowden's word with a grain of salt. At least since Peter Bendix arrived, he has reported with a pro-Marlins slant, often inflating the value of Miami's players and characterizing trade negotiations in ways that our own sources and other MLB insiders have disputed.

That being said, I want to be thorough with this rumor roundup.

July 30, 12:12 p.m. ET

This current version of Alcantara is more like a solid No. 4 than a "strong No. 2," as I wrote on Tuesday. If the Red Sox genuinely hold the latter opinion, perhaps they'll be the team to make an outlandish offer that's too good for the Fish to refuse.

July 29, 7:00 p.m. ET

July 29, 2:15 p.m. ET

Chris Paddack is the only starting pitcher to be moved in a deadline deal so far, leaving plenty of potential landing spots for Alcantara.

July 28, 10:30 a.m. ET

Alcantara continues to be listed as the Marlins' probable starting pitcher for Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

If Bob Nightengale's reporting below is to be believed, they would have very little to gain from letting him take the mound again before the deadline. The Marlins could simply scratch him at any point before first pitch and pivot to a bullpen game if trade negotiations intensify.

July 27, 10:30 a.m. ET

Trade interest in Alcantara has "soared since his last start with teams now convinced he will be moved by the July 31 deadline," according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Alcantara went a season-high seven innings in that July 23 outing against the San Diego Padres, allowing one unearned run. It was only the second time in 2025 that he's held an opponent without any walks or hit-by-pitches. He also induced a pair of his signature ground ball double plays.