Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara touched 99 mph and held the New York Mets scoreless on Sunday in what served as his first pitching appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2023.
Alcantara surrendered a hit (a single to Mark Vientos) and recorded a strikeout as part of an otherwise clean inning of work. He threw 17 pitches, most of them fastballs, with his average heater check in above 98 mph. He generated three swings and misses on the afternoon.
Alcantara, 29, had matured into one of the sport’s top workhorses prior to tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. From 2021-23, he amassed a 3.14 ERA (137 ERA+) and a 3.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 93 starts. He averaged nearly 6 ⅔ innings per pop and 206 innings per campaign. His contributions were estimated by Baseball Reference to be worth 15.7 Wins Above Replacement.
The Marlins will again be one of the worst teams in baseball, suggesting Alcantara may find himself on the trade block — if he isn’t already there. Back in December, Marlins top executive Peter Bendix acknowledged that the club wouldn’t rule out a trade: “You said it: We never rule out anything. We listen to everything. Sandy is a really important piece for our organization. I’m really excited to see him pitch on Opening Day.”
The Marlins have made a number of notable deals under Bendix’s watch, including dealing away infielder Luis Arraez just weeks into last season. The Arraez deal suggested Bendix is open to trading whenever, provided it’s a swap that makes sense for Miami.
Alcantara’s contract stipulates he’ll make $17 million apiece this and next season, with a club option worth $21 million for the 2027 campaign.
Read the full article here
