Ely Sussman

Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera were available for the right price, but nobody was willing to meet it. When the dust settled at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, they both remained in Miami Marlins uniforms, as did every other member of the major league pitching staff. It was a surprising outcome—to say the least—for a club that hasn't tasted the .500 mark since mid-April and is still in the process of reinforcing a good farm system into an elite one. Alcantara is one of the most impactful pitchers in Marlins history. Across parts of seven MLB seasons in Miami, he has totaled more than one thousand innings pitched, compiling the third-most complete games and second-most strikeouts of any Marlin ever. He signed a $56 million contract extension in November 2021 right before a lockout and validated that long-term commitment by becoming the franchise's only National League Cy Young Award winner the following season. The Marlins were an atrocious team in 2024, largely because their starting rotation crumbled while Alcantara rehabbed from Tommy John surgery. Based on everything we saw and heard this spring, there was optimism that the 29-year-old was ready to reprise his workhorse role. Instead, he got lit up throughout the months of April and May. Even with solid performances lately, he entered Thursday with a 6.36 ERA, 4.48 FIP and .267 BAA, averaging barely five innings per start. After striking out seven batters on Opening Day, he has eclipsed that total only once since then. At least velocity is not a concern—Sandy topped out at 99.9 mph in his most recent start against the St. Louis Cardinals and his four-seam fastball has sat at 97.5 this year, which is comparable to his pre-TJ norm. Overall, you don't really know what version of Alcantara you're getting in August, September and October, yet according to The Athletic's Will Sammon, suitors were expected to mortgage much of their future to pry him from the Marlins: Cabrera was an international free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. The Marlins are the only MLB organization that he has ever known. He emerged as a big-time prospect in 2019, combining for a 2.02 ERA in 19 starts at the High-A/Double-A levels. No surgeries have been required along the way, but Cabrera has been constantly nagged by injuries. He's been sidelined for portions of every single season dating back to 2017. He reached the majors on August 25, 2021. All but two of his 81 Marlins appearances since then have come in a starting role. This season is shaping up to be Cabrera's best as a big leaguer. In 18 starts, he has posted a 3.35 ERA, 3.68 FIP and .235 BAA. He's six innings away from establishing a new career-high in innings pitched. Although Cabrera's changeup was his original claim the fame, he is now throwing his curveball just as often and generating incredible results with it (+6 RV, .122 BAA and 42.2 Whiff%). His control of all his pitches has improved in terms of getting ahead in counts and challenging hitters in the strike zone. Earning a $1.95 million salary in his first year of arbitration eligibility, Cabrera will continue to be arb-eligible through 2028 (his age-30 season). That boosted his surplus value above Alcantara's. However, his erratic availability and production prior to 2025 may have given interested teams pause. "If Cabrera runs off another two or three months [like this], he could be a very, very coveted asset, even more than what he was now," Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida said on our trade deadline Twitter space. "I think that's what the Marlins are taking a chance on here." Contenders who were linked to Alcantara and Cabrera leading up to the deadline include the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and New York Yankees. It's premature to look ahead to the 2025-26 offseason trade window, because in the meantime, the Marlins are hanging out on the periphery of the NL wild-card race, seven games back of the final spot. Their deadline activity did nothing to augment the roster with outside talent, but they also did not subtract from what has recently been an extraordinary effective stable of arms. Cabrera is scheduled to take the mound next on Sunday against the Yankees, with Alcantara projected to go on Tuesday against the Astros. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) RF Jesús Sánchez (L) C Agustín Ramírez DH Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez 1B Troy Johnston (L) LF Heriberto Hernandez 3B Graham Pauley (L) CF Dane Myers P Cal Quantrill Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins might hold onto Sandy Alcantara past this week's MLB trade deadline just to avoid having to compete against him. Alcantara reached the big leagues in 2017 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, who dealt him to Miami during the subsequent offseason. He has tormented them ever since, and that continued on Tuesday. He lowered his lifetime ERA to 1.71 in seven career head-to-head matchups as the Marlins rebounded from an uninspiring loss with a 5-0 shutout victory to even up the series. Alcantara's first pitch of the night was inauspicious, hitting Masyn Winn on the back. The right-hander's control was a recurring issue as he matched a season-high with five free passes (walks and hit-by-pitches combined). The Cardinals had baserunners against in every inning. None of them came around to score, though. It helped that Alcantara did not face a full-strength St. Louis lineup. Leadoff man Brendan Donovan got a rare rest day and defensive-minded catcher Pedro Pagés (54 wRC+) started over Yohel Pozo (120 wRC+). On the other hand, a transaction completed earlier in the day disrupted Alcantara's routine. This was Liam Hicks' first time catching Sandy since June 28 because his usual battery mate, Nick Fortes, was traded to Tampa Bay. Hicks encouraged Alcantara to lean heavily on his curveball—he threw the pitch more times (32) than he had in any of his previous 158 Marlins starts. But in the highest-leverage moment, facing Alec Burleson with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth, Alcantara put him away with a firm changeup expertly placed just off the outside corner. WU9rTWVfVjBZQUhRPT1fVUFWVVVRVUVBd1FBV1ZFRkFnQUhDQU5SQUZsUVcxY0FBVnhXVXdBR1ZRRlVBRkVG.mp4 Alcantara's final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K (94 pitches/55 strikes). That comes on the heels of his best performance of the season against the San Diego Padres on the last homestand (7.0 IP, 0 ER). He has unquestionably upped his trade value at the ideal time. However, I'm skeptical that his value has risen enough to justify parting ways now. Alcantara isn't particularly close to re-establishing himself as an ace. Per Baseball Savant, he ranks in the 10th percentile among MLB pitchers in whiff rate, a number that only marginally increased in St. Louis. His reliance on the defense behind him is more extreme than ever. The aforementioned Padres start was the only time in 2025 that Alcantara has recorded an out in the seventh inning. Even before winning the NL Cy Young Award, what made him "El Caballo" was the efficiency and determination to consistently give the bullpen a day off. A contending team acquiring this version of him won't be able to bank on that. Perhaps I'm out of touch with the way that front offices are evaluating pitchers, or perhaps they are willing to pay a steep price for Alcantara anyway because all of the other arms on the market have their own warts. In my opinion, he is currently a solid No. 4 starter with an impeccable track record of durability outside of Tommy John surgery. While there is value in that, he is doubtful to swing a pennant race. As we have frequently noted on Fish On First, the Marlins have leverage. Given his contract status and the encouraging trajectory of the team relative to expectations, they shouldn't trade away yet another beloved veteran unless they are overwhelmingly confident that it brightens their long-term outlook. I don't believe that "too good to refuse" offer is out there for them yet. More than any other player I've covered, I trust Sandy Alcantara to continue improving as he gets acclimated to his reconstructed UCL and evolving repertoire. The best course of action would be to retain him through season's end, then re-evaluate. Non-Sandy Notes - Selected from Triple-A Jacksonville prior to the game, Marlins minor league legend Troy Johnston was Miami's starting first baseman in his major league debut. He singled to right field off of Sonny Gray in the top of the second inning and scored on Graham Pauley's two-run home run. He also doubled Jordan Walker off of first base on a pop-up. With left-hander Steven Matz on the mound in the sixth inning, Johnston was replaced by pinch-hitter Dane Myers. slzmyp_1.mp4 WU9rTWVfVjBZQUhRPT1fQndFRlZGUU5WQVFBRDFvRUFnQUhCUUZTQUZoWFcxSUFDMTBCQ1FaUVV3ZFZCRkJl.mp4 - The Marlins offense has been especially productive with two outs and Tuesday was no exception. All five of their runs were scored under those circumstances. Aside from Pauley, Otto Lopez, Eric Wagaman and Xavier Edwards drove in one run apiece. - Agustín Ramírez picked up his third stolen base of the season. Each of those steals have been of third base. Meanwhile, no other Marlin has stolen 3B more than once. I found that interesting. - Calvin Faucher, Ronny Henriquez and Valente Bellozo threw up zeroes of their own in relief of Alcantara. - Cal Quantrill and Miles Mikolas are scheduled to start Wednesday's 7:45 p.m. ET rubber game. Even more so than Alcantara, the Marlins are motivated to trade the pending free agent Quantrill before the deadline, so it wouldn't be shocking if he got scratched before the game begins amid negotiations. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) RF Jesús Sánchez (L) DH Agustín Ramírez LF Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) 1B Troy Johnston (L) CF Javier Sanoja 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Dealing with more injuries than any other MLB contender and in the midst of a season-long five-game losing streak, the Houston Astros are "in the market for a hitter" as Thursday's trade deadline approaches, according to Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez is among the "names under consideration." Sánchez is mentioned in the same breath as Minnesota Twins infielder Willi Castro and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy. Teams know what they're getting in Sánchez. He posted a 108 wRC+ in 2023, a 101 wRC+ in 2024 and a 104 wRC+ in 2025 entering Tuesday's game (he's in the Marlins lineup, starting in right field). Virtually all of his production comes against right-handed pitching, including 59 of his 68 career home runs. Worth noting, Sánchez's plate discipline has improved in his age-27 season. He is chasing pitches outside the strike zone at a career-low rate, resulting in a personal-best 20.7% strikeout rate. If sent to Houston, Sánchez would presumably be utilized in left field and at designated hitter, with his playing time dependent on the availability of Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve. The Astros have rookie Cam Smith starting regularly in right and performing solidly. Sánchez is currently making a $4.5 million salary. That figures to climb into the $6-7 million range via arbitration next season. He'll be arb-eligible one final time in 2027 if not extended or non-tendered beforehand. View full rumor

Thankfully, Johnston is finally getting a chance. Who knows for how long and doubtful to stick around for 2026, regardless. This organization and pretty much all others preach the importance of defensive versatility. That makes the stubbornness about Gus at catcher hard to understand.

There were a few clutch moments through the years, but the overall numbers don't support this reputation. To me, what stood out is how easily he could put balls in play. The problem was how many of those were pop-ups or other unproductive outs. Fortes is a serviceable big leaguer overall, but it was frustrating that I don't think he has reached his offensive potential.

Johnston is getting his shot after all, as it turns out 😁

Troy Johnston is joining the Miami Marlins in St. Louis prior to Tuesday's game, Fish On First's Kevin Barral confirms. After grinding for more than 700 professional games (minor leagues and fall/winter ball combined), Johnston will get his first taste of the majors. This call-up is frankly two years overdue. A consistently great offensive performer in the minors, Johnston was the organization's 2023 Minor League Player of the Year. The Marlins snuck into the postseason that year in spite of several lineup holes. Johnston has a career MiLB slash line of .281/.367/.458 with a 123 wRC+, 81 home runs and 83 stolen bases, including a career-high 31 steals this season. Now 28 years old, he would have been eligible to elect minor league free agency this upcoming offseason if not selected to the 40-man roster beforehand. Johnston will presumably slide right into the roster spot that was vacated by the newly traded Nick Fortes. With Fortes gone, there are enough reps available for Liam Hicks to be used exclusively as a catcher. Johnston can split time with Eric Wagaman at first base. (I'd prefer to see Heriberto Hernandez over Wagaman, as discussed on Monday.) Congrats to Troy. We're hearing that the Johnston family has traveled to St. Louis to soak in this milestone with him. Down on the farm, DSL Miami defeated DSL Marlins, 5-2. José Paulino (4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K) set career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. José Castro won it in walk-off fashion with his 11th home run of the season, which leads the entire Dominican Summer League. High-A Beloit's Brandon White was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. For on-site coverage of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp over the next two days, make sure you're following Kevin Barral. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Cam Cannarella received a $2,277,425 signing bonus from the Marlins in advance of Monday's signing deadline. The team spent exactly 100% of their bonus pool, though this is the fourth straight year that they've been unwilling to pay any overage taxes (there is wiggle room to spend up to 105% of the pool without losing any future picks). Expect to see several draftees make their professional debuts this week. 🔷 I explained why Joe Mack won't be considered for a call-up until August 15 at the earliest. 🔷 Following his latest quality start, Edward Cabrera expressed his love for Miami with rumors swirling about a potential trade. Cabrera lowered his season ERA to 3.35. 🔷 The San Diego Padres are among multiple clubs considering Anthony Bender, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. 🔷 The latest trade activity: the Detroit Tigers acquired Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Danny Jansen from the Tampa Bay Rays. Paddack bringing back a top-30 organizational prospect for the Twins bodes well for Cal Quantrill's value—both pending free agents, Quantrill and Paddack are having very comparable seasons. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave through August 31 as part of an MLB sports betting investigation. Clase's teammate, Luis Ortiz, was placed on leave earlier this month as part of the same investigation. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg passed away at the age of 65. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins seek payback after getting soundly beaten by the Cardinals in their series opener (probable starters RHP Sandy Alcantara and RHP Sonny Gray). It could very well be Alcantara's final appearance with the Marlins. Sean McCormack, Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral collaborated on three mock trade proposals. Dating back to 2021, the Fish are 2-11 at Busch Stadium. They have a 40.2% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:45 p.m. ET. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) RF Jesús Sánchez (L) C Agustín Ramírez LF Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Liam Hicks (L) 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Graham Pauley (L) CF Dane Myers P Edward Cabrera Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

You may have already seen the new reporting from Jeff Passan about Manfred and Bryce Harper getting into a shouting match, with Harper insisting that the players are ready for a lost season if necessary 😬

I have noticed those splits, too. Also it's hard to see Agustin catching regularly next season once Joe Mack arrives. He played even more first base in the minors than Heriberto. But as far as we know, the Marlins haven't been letting him practice at 1B during this season. Wouldn't be ready to play games there right away. Heriberto has at least been preparing for this situation.

What a haul this would be. The Chicago Cubs love Edward Cabrera, according to North Side Baseball managing editor Matthew Trueblood, and the Miami Marlins are trying to exploit that by demanding both outfielder Owen Caissie and right-hander Jaxon Wiggins in return to facilitate a deal. "The Cubs are unwilling to meet that asking price," Trueblood writes. "Giving up both would leave a huge hole in the team's farm system, and the two teams are in a staring contest, each hoping the other blinks first." Caissie's name came up in rumors when these teams previously discussed Jesús Luzardo last offseason. His performance since then has only raised his stock. Repeating the Triple-A level, he has a 137 wRC+ in 81 games with 20 home runs, already exceeding his 2024 season total. An elevated strikeout rate, which has hovered around 30% throughout his MiLB career, is the main cause for concern. Caissie ranks 58th on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list. He turned 23 earlier this month. Wiggins has dominated in 14 appearances between High-A and Double-A, posting a 2.02 ERA and 2.58 FIP. His .151 batting average against is sixth-lowest in Minor League Baseball among players with at least 50 innings pitched. Following the graduation of Cade Horton, he has emerged as the consensus top pitching prospect in the Cubs' system. He's also 23, but unlike Caissie, Wiggins doesn't occupy a 40-man roster spot yet (Rule 5 Draft-eligible in 2026). The Cubs enter Monday tied for the National League's best record, though the team they're tied with, the Milwaukee Brewers, is in the same division. Although extremely likely to reach October even without Cabrera, his consistency could be crucial to them winning the National League Central and potentially earning a bye to the NLDS. He's also controllable for three additional seasons via arbitration, hence the steep asking price. "Since there's no guarantee that Cabrera's price tag will come down, the Chicago front office has also remained engaged with several other teams about controllable pitchers who would deliver huge impact down the stretch but can also be retained for another two or more seasons," Trueblood adds. However, "the goal is to draw down the asking price on Cabrera." View full rumor

To the surprise of many—myself included—Heriberto Hernandez's first month in the major leagues was excellent. Since then, he has not slowed down whatsoever. The Miami Marlins were hoping Hernandez would match up well against left-handed pitching, but even his most ardent supporters could not have envisioned a near-1.000 OPS against righties, boosted by a home run off of Brandon Woodruff on Sunday. In 36 games since his call-up, the 25-year-old is slashing .323/.377/.531. You don't have to fully buy into the results to be impressed—his expected weighted on-base average (.375) is second-best on the club behind only Kyle Stowers. As Kevin Barral noted in his bold Yandy Díaz trade proposal, the Marlins are getting negative value from their first basemen this season. The majority of playing time at that position has gone to Eric Wagaman, who already entered July as a sub-replacement-level player and has followed that up with one of the worst months ever by a Marlins hitter. The team has been consistently winning series in spite of Wagaman and their patience with him is baffling considering his lack of MLB track record or prospect pedigree. So far, Hernandez has only been used as a corner outfielder and designated hitter. However, he's quietly been taking grounders at first base for a while now. The last time he received games reps there was at High-A in 2022. Assuming that the Marlins don't swing a deal for an accomplished veteran first baseman prior to the MLB trade deadline, try Hernandez there on a semi-regular basis. Use August and September to get a clearer picture of who he is from both an offensive and defensive perspective. This would be mainly to determine how to construct the 2026 roster, but maximizing Hernandez's plate appearances and subtracting Wagaman's should help keep the Fish afloat in the 2025 National League wild-card race, too. The deadline is three days away. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 12-6. Six different Jumbo Shrimp hit home runs, the longest of which was Jakob Marsee's 460-footer. Double-A Pensacola lost, 6-5. Jacob Miller continues to slump. He has surrendered 24 earned runs over his last 23 ⅓ innings pitched. Ryan Ignoffo landed on the injured list with hamstring tightness. Ignoffo leads all Blue Wahoos players this season with a .779 OPS (min. 100 PA). High-A Beloit won, 3-0. Only one baserunner reached against Brandon White (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 81 pitches/56 strikes). Low-A Jupiter lost, 6-1. Dub Gleed had to step in as an emergency catcher for nearly half of the game after both Victor Ortega and Carlos Sánchez exited with injuries. Unsurprisingly, Gleed struggled defensively, allowing a passed ball and six stolen bases and committing a throwing error. Cam Clayton went 4-for-4. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Competitive Balance Round A draft pick Cam Cannarella will sign his contract with the Marlins prior to today's 5:00 p.m. ET deadline, per Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. That would make this the first time since the abbreviated 2020 draft that the Marlins have reached agreements with all of their draftees. 🔷 As corresponding moves to create room for the rest of the 2025 draft class, the Marlins have released Melvin Cuevas, José Fernández (no relation to the late JDF), Leandro Hernández, Cherif Neymour and Luifer Romero. Each of them were former international free agent signings who played in the Florida Complex League this season. 🔷 Lake Bachar missed the Brewers series because he was on the paternity list. Expect him to be reinstated today. Freddy Tarnok, who was called up in his place, should be going back to Jacksonville. 🔷 Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He delivered plenty of jokes, including one that came at the Marlins' expense. Watch the full speech here. UJ4NrWT8jrrh-wwf.mp4 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first 34 series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Seth Lugo and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year, $46 million contract extension. In trade news, the Royals added Randal Grichuk and the New York Yankees added Amed Rosario. Aaron Judge suffered a right flexor strain. That will sideline him this weekend when the Yankees come to Miami. The Texas Rangers have won nine of their last 10 games to move into a tie with the Seattle Mariners for the final American League wild-card spot. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins' road trip continues in St. Louis (probable starters RHP Edward Cabrera and RHP Andre Pallante). Dating back to 2021, the Fish are 2-10 at Busch Stadium. They have a 45.8% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:45 p.m. ET. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the Cardinals series beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off). Marlins podcast episodes View full article