Evaluating potential Yankees trade deadline packages for Alcantara, Cabrera

Every summer, MLB contenders are desperate to add pitching reinforcements. The Marlins are well-positioned to capitalize on that this year. 

For a long time, the Marlins have been lauded for pitching development. Their new front office has a more analytical approach than their predecessors did, but the early returns are similarly encouraging. They have prospects in the upper minors such as Thomas White, Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur capable of being staples of the major league rotation within the next calendar year, with Noble Meyer, Karson Milbrandt, Kevin Defrank, Liomar Martínez and others providing additional waves of depth. If the market appropriately values members of the Marlins' current MLB staff, Peter Bendix will not be reluctant to make deals that reinforce other areas of the organization.

Two Marlins pitchers who will be asked about a lot are former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and the surging Edward Cabrera. Both of them have their warts—Alcantara's disappointing 2025 results and Cabrera's inconsistent track record of health and strike-throwing—but they still compare favorably to the alternatives that other sellers can offer.

Leading their respective divisions, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers are logical landing spots, but a recent development ought to add another potential trade partner to the mix. On Saturday afternoon, the New York Yankees announced that righty Clarke Schmidt will likely need Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his 2025 and 2026 seasons. Schmidt had been pitching to a 3.32 ERA and 3.90 FIP in 78 ⅔ innings.

The Yankees still have two quality veterans atop their rotation in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, but making it to October is no longer a given for them. They sorely lack right-handed firepower. The reigning AL pennant winners enter Monday at 49-41, and they had been trending in the wrong direction even before Schmidt's injury.

While the Yankees don’t boast a very deep farm system, they have a good working relationship with the Marlins. These teams collaborated on a substantial deadline deal last year centered around Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Agustín Ramírez, and Miami's director of player development, Rachel Balkovec, has a strong knowledge of Yankees prospects from her tenure working with the organization.

Here are potential trade scenarios that could wind up putting Alcantara or Cabrera in pinstripes.

Scenario A: Marlins trade RHP Sandy Alcantara to Yankees for OF Spencer Jones, RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and C/1B Rafael Flores 

Sandy’s pedigree would garner a good return if the Marlins move him this summer, but teams determined to win now understandably put a lot of weight on "what have you done for me lately." The former Cy Young Award winner has MLB's highest ERA in 2025 (min. 50 IP) and below-average-for-him K numbers. There is also a financial component, with salaries of $17.3 million both this season and next, plus a $2 million buyout of his 2027 club option if that isn't exercised for $21 million. Therefore, an Alcantara package would be lighter in terms of overall value than a Cabrera one.

The main piece going to Miami would be Jones, the Yankees’ #2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Though he fell off top-100 league-wide lists after a strikeout-prone 2024 campaign at Double-A, the 24-year-old is making noise again this season. Through 55 games, Jones is slashing .290/.399/.633, mostly with Somerset. He’s taken a recent call-up to Triple-A well. Four of his 20 home runs on the year have come at that level.

This season, across both levels, Jones has a K rate of 33.8%. To his credit, he’s also held down a solid 15.6% walk rate, by far the best of his career. At 6’7”, the lefty has a lot of zone to view and cover. The stark improvement in walk rate has come by way of upgrades in his approach and plate presence. Jones is seeing pitches in the strike zone at a 43% clip. His swing percentage is down to a career low 45% and his called strike percentage is down to 14.7%. Jones is making adjustments necessary to access his very loud tools, which include 60-grade game power (70 grade raw) that he has shown to all fields and 60-grade speed. If his recent uptick in patience persists and if he can bring his K rate down, he’s a scary offensive talent.

The Marlins aided Griffin Conine in similar fashion amidst his call-up to the majors. Jones could be next all while playing a solid center field, a position of organizational need for Miami.

Rodriguez-Cruz (NYY #6 prospect) was a 2022 Red Sox fourth-rounder moved to the Yankees in a trade for Carlos Narvaez this past winter. While jumping a level each season since his debut, wherever Rodriguez-Cruz has pitched, he’s performed well all while continuing to trend upward in terms of his progression.

Coming out of the draft, Rodriguez-Cruz’s biggest strength was smooth, repeatable action and an advanced breaking ball; the biggest knock on him was a lack of velocity as his fastball was sitting just 92 mph. Despite an elbow inflammation injury that cost him the last month of the season in 2023, he showed up in 2024 sitting 95 and topping at 97-98. The breaking ball hasn’t gone away for Rodriguez-Cruz. The curveball sits in the mid-high 70s and holds sharp, late downward vertical that can garner him some foolish swings. Rodriguez-Cruz has also quickly added two more breaking pitches—a sweeping slider in the high 80s and a cutter in the same range, giving him a wide arsenal. What ERC previously lacked in terms of overall raw stuff, he’s made up for by continuing to take positive and calculated developmental strides. He’s also cleverly mixing the entirety of his repertoire to keep batters guessing and off balance.

Rodriguez-Cruz sits 6’3”, 160 at nearly 22 years of age. As he continues to round into form, he would benefit from adding a bit more strength, which would only aid in his velocity persisting through starts, further negating reliever risk. Overall command and control has been inconsistent for ERC especially last season, but as he’s gained better feel for his new offerings, it’s improved back towards his career norms. This season, he has an 18.2 K-BB%.

Through some trials early in his career, Rodriguez-Cruz has answered every question asked of him in a positive manner. He’s been in High-A the entire year, but is knocking on the door of the upper minors. Currently, he’s riding a streak of 35 ⅔ innings with an audacious 0.77 ERA and a 42/14 K/BB. With further consistency and polish, this is a solid back-end rotational arm.

Flores (NYY #15 prospect) is not-so-arguably the second-best raw power threat in the New York's system. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Yankees in 2022, he was pushed straight to High-A in 2023. After a respectable teeth-cutting debut season, Flores broke out in a big way in 2024. In his first 57 games, he slashed .285/.403/.466 with six home runs earning him a promotion to Double-A just 166 games into his pro tenure. Flores’ response to the toughest career developmental MiLB jump could not have been more positive. Last season with Somerset, he slashed .274/.359/.519 with 15 long balls. Back with the Patriots this season, the 24-year-old is putting up similar numbers (.289/.349/.502 with 14 homers).

Flores has held down more respectable K rates than Jones, never over 30%. This season, it sits at 26%. That said, his walk rate has decreased as he’s faced more advanced stuff—8.6 BB% in 2025 is a career-low. Seeing how that matriculates through a full season at the higher levels of the minors will be key, but for the time being, Flores is doing enough with contact rates to excuse a lower walk rate.

Defensively, evaluators note a passable current skill set at catcher, particularly in terms of athletic movement with a need to improve his throwing arm. In the future with any team and especially in terms of a potential future with the Marlins, Flores may be moved to first base. This prospect's profile is not too dissimilar from Agustín Ramírez's.

Scenario B: Marlins trade RHP Edward Cabrera to Yankees for OF George Lombard Jr., RHP Cam Schlitter and SS Roderick Arias 

While Sandy has history on his side, Cabrera has recent performance on his. He also comes with an additional year of club control through the 2028 season via arbitration.

Enter Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. A Miami native and graduate of Gulliver Prep, he was the their 2023 first-rounder. Jumping a level each season, Lombard is currently in Double-A. He finds himself there after a great 24-game start to the year with Hudson Valley in which he hit .329/.495/.488.

The son of a World Series champion and current Detroit Tigers coach, Lombard grew up intertwined with the game. That shows up consistently on the field where he has an outstanding baseball IQ. Whether it be reading balls off the bat and taking an advantageous first step, garnering a quality secondary lead, or keeping swings within the zone, the 20-year-old consistently shows why he was able to crack the upper minors this early in his career.

The tools are those of a future All-Star. Arguably his best tool is his 60/65-grade field. He has good range to both sides and above-average speed along with a plus throwing arm that’s been clocked in the low 90s. He also earns grades in the 50-60 range from evaluators in arm and run. From last season to this year, he’s taken a jump in terms of arm accuracy. Above all, Lombard’s athleticism speaks volumes about his future ability to stick on the middle infield.

At the plate, Lombard’s approach and swing decisions are what set him apart and give him a solid initial blueprint. Even amidst the recent jump to Double-A—playing against competition much older than him on average—Lombard is walking at a near 17% clip. His area of needed work recently has been both catching up with fastballs and staying back on breaking pitches inside the zone. Additionally, Lombard is still pretty wiry at 6’2”, 190. He projects to be the type of bat that will come by solid gap power first. Natural progression in both senses of the word and advantageous analytical development for this very smart kid should allow Lombard to grow into solid 50-grade game power.

Overall, offensively, Lombard is still young and a bit immature physically and needs to work on his swing path and barrel control on pitches within the zone, but he is developing highly sought-after tools, especially from a premium position. He could be ready for an MLB call as early as next season.

Schlitter (NYY #10 prospect) is a 6’6”, 225-pound righty and 2022 seventh-round pick from a cold-weather climate who flew through the minors in just three seasons. This year, between Double-A and Triple-A, Schlitter has a 2.82 ERA and 2.52 FIP. He has a 3.81 K/BB ratio. This is all while pitching in hitter-friendly environments which have hampered him with a hard-luck .350 BABIP. Amidst the aforementioned injury to Schmidt, Schlitter received his first MLB call-up. He is slated to make his debut this coming Tuesday.

Schlitter owns a smooth, seemingly low-effort delivery in which he maintains his size throughout, masking his release through a high arm slot. His fastball, which sits mid-90s and has been clocked as high as 99, has significant jump out of his hand and gets on hitters very quickly. He controls it well to various quadrants, notably elevating it for whiffs. Recently, Schlitter told FanGraphs about how he’s developed “cut-ride” movement on the pitch.

Schlitter’s best secondary is a 12-6 curveball with consistent spin rates in the 2600s. Burying the pitch on the lower half and purposely out of the zone from the aforementioned high arm slot, it’s been nearly impossible for opposing hitters to pick up. Schlitter also mixes in a sweeper which holds unique vertical break. A recent development and addition to his arsenal has been a low-90s cutter; Schlitter used this pitch to replace a splitter that didn’t wield him great results. Now a four pitch pitcher, Schlitter has quickly rounded into form.

With size, strength, still-developing stuff, velo and a great work ethic, he has the profile of a Marlins pitching development darling. This is everything they look for, prize and groom advantageously. Expect this name to be targeted in any trade with New York.

Arias (NYY #5 prospect) was a Yankees international signing in 2022. He broke out well in a limited sample in the FCL in 2023, flashing speed, strength and a solid field tool. A transition to full-season ball in 2024 saw Arias have those tools permeate as he homered 13 times and stole 37 bases, but he really struggled with strikeouts (31.0 K%). This season, Arias is repeating Low-A at age 20. He’s slashing a lowly .195/.315/.314. That said, when he gets on, he’s been a consistent stolen base threat, already up to 20 bags. The power has peeked out at times (5 HR).

To make the most of his skillset and potential ceiling, Arias will desperately need to fix his lowly contact rates. This season, he’s finding the baseball just 67.9% of the time, which is among the lowest contact rates of all MiLB qualifiers. A small tweak in setup last year awarded Arias better results at the end of last season, but his overwhelming issue with putting the bat on breaking balls has once again overtaken him this year. Arias swings at strikes—he just frequently fails to put the bat on them. Defensively, Arias’ speed and arm serve him well. Pipeline grades Arias as a “no-doubt” shortstop. Many other evaluators, though not as bullish, believe he will stick at the spot long term.

Despite some gaps, Arias still has very high upside. With good raw power and the ability to keep swings in the strike zone as well as high defensive upside at a premium position, he is seemingly a few adjustments away from realizing potential. At the very least, his defense gives him a decently high floor. If the Marlins get their hands on him in this buy-low situation, their new development team could get the most out of this player. Betting on the raw tools here would be a smart move.