MLB Trade Rumors: Sandy Alcantara Projected to Land with AL Contender

If it seems like Sandy Alcantara has been on the trade block for over a year, that's because he has been. The former Cy Young winner came back from Tommy John surgery, returning to the mound with the Miami Marlins in 2025. It wasn't anything to write home about, as he posted a 5.36 ERA.

But numbers that might be more important than that in his first season back are the 31 starts and 174 innings pitched. That arm seems to be healthy and holding up. Not only that, he got stronger as the season went along, as his second-half stats were far better, with a 7-3 record and a 3.33 ERA in 13 starts. He also had a 71:20 strikeout to walk ratio with only 67 hits surrendered across 83.2 innings in the back half of the season.

What if this recent Cy Young winner (2022), joined a 2024 and 2025 Cy Young winner in the same rotation? That's the projection from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report. He feels that Alcantara will wind up with the Detroit Tigers this season.

Alcantara projected to join Tarik Skubal & Framber Valdez in Tigers rotation

The Tigers already made a huge addition to their rotation behind two-time Cy guy Tarik Skubal, signing the top free agent pitcher on the market, Framber Valdez.

"After months of speculation that the Tigers might consider trading away Tarik Skubal," writes Miller, "they could instead end up with a postseason rotation of Skubal, Alcantara, Valdez, and Justin Verlander/Jack Flaherty."

The Tigers are so far ahead of the pack in the AL Central, that a playoff spot is almost assured, even before the season begins. Focusing on assembling an unbeatable postseason rotation sounds like a good move.

And with the prospect of Skubal almost certainly bolting the Motor City for greener pastures in free agency next winter, this scenario would still leave them with Valdez and Alcantara (under team control through 2027) at the top of their rotation.