The New York Yankees entered spring training absolutely teeming with starting pitching, so much so that they traded Nestor Cortes earlier this offseason and were also trying to find a taker for Marcus Stroman.
Unfortunately, a lot has changed for the Yankees over the last couple of weeks.
First, Luis Gil went down with a lat strain and is expected to miss several months. Then, Gerrit Cole suffered an elbow injury that will require the dreaded Tommy John surgery.
Yes, New York signed Max Fried in free agency, and it still has pieces like Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt in its rotation, but with the injuries to Gil and Cole, the Yanks need help, and they could find it in the form of Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
The Marlins may be making Alcantara available this season, and if they do, the Yankees will surely represent one of the prime trade destinations for the former NL Cy Young award winner.
Zach Pressnell of FanSided has proposed a deal in which New York would land Alcantara in a March blockbuster. He suggests the Yankees send three prospects—pitcher Will Warren, outfielder Spencer Jones and shortstop Roderick Arias—to Miami in exchange for the right-hander.
“It may cost more than this for the Marlins to say yes, but the return is loaded,” Pressnell wrote. “Miami would acquire two prospects who could play for them right now, Warren and Jones, while acquiring another talented youngster with a lot of potential.”
Of course, Alcantara is coming off of Tommy John surgery himself and missed all of 2024 as a result, but he has looked brilliant in spring training and has a proven track record of being a top-of-the-line starter.
With the Yankees looking to make it back to the World Series, they may have no choice but to pull the trigger for the 29-year-old.
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