Braves On The Hunt: Atlanta Eyes Rival’s Ace Starter in Blockbuster Deal
The 2025 MLB season hasn’t started yet. But Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer has already begun wondering where Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher Sandy Alcántara might land at the MLB trade deadline.
Actually, Rymer has started to do more than wonder. On March 14, Rymer named 12 potential landing spots for Alcántara.
That doesn’t exactly narrow it down. Essentially, half the league could be in on Alcántara, according to Rymer.
But Rymer ranked the top five most-likely landing spots. Then, he listed seven other teams as “honorable mention” possibilities.
The Atlanta Braves made Rymer’s list of “honorable mentions.”
“Atlanta’s rotation projects better than you might think with an outlook of 16.8 WAR. Yet some skepticism is warranted, as reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale is 36 years old, while Max Fried and Charlie Morton are long gone,” wrote Rymer.
The Braves have question marks in their rotation. But suddenly, the concerns with the Atlanta starting rotation might not be as significant as the ones in New York with the Yankees and Mets. Injuries this spring to Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas have given the teams in the Big Apple plenty to worry about the mound.
Whether the Braves are in the market for Alcántara will depend on how the team’s rotation begins the season. Ian Anderson and Grant Holmes are expected to serve as the No. 4 and 5 starters until Spencer Strider returns, which could happen at the end of April.
Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach offer the Braves security at the top of their rotation. But things can change quickly in the MLB. Sale was far from a sure thing just a year ago.
As Rymer mentioned, Sale is now 36 years old. Furthermore, López might not be able to repeat the stellar number from his career year in 2024. Schwellenbach is also entering his first full MLB season.
In all likelihood, the Braves won’t make a competitive offer for Alcántara even if they need a starter at the end of July. But because of the expectation they will compete for a World Series in 2025, the Braves also can’t be ruled out as a possibility for the Marlins right hander right now.
Alcántara won the National League Cy Young award with a 14-9 record, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings during 2022. That was also his second All-Star season.
In 2023, Alcántara didn’t repeat his Cy Young number, as he went 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.213 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 184.2 innings. The right-hander missed all of 2024 because of Tommy John surgery.
How he returns in 2025 from last year’s surgery will greatly impact Alcántara’s market. As will the start for the Marlins. Miami isn’t expected to compete in the difficult NL East, but should the Marlins play well in the first couple months of the season, then Alcántara likely won’t be available on the trade market.
