Long-Time Cubs Trade Target Not Expected to Be Dealt at MLB Trade Deadline

Long-Time Cubs Trade Target Not Expected to Be Dealt at MLB Trade Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It's been an ugly year for some of the top players in Major League Baseball, including right-hander Sandy Alcantara. It was all but guaranteed entering the year that the Miami Marlins were expected to move on from the right-hander. 

Among many other teams, the Chicago Cubs were named as possible destinations for him various times throughout the past few months. 

However, because Alcantara has been so bad throughout the year, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Sunday that it isn't expected for him to be traded, noting that at this point, the Marlins might have to wait until the offseason to bring up his value. 

“The Marlins were hoping to bring in a haul of prospect for the former Cy Young winner at the deadline. They never envisioned that he would be a shell of his former self.

“Alcantara is 4-9 with a 7.14 ERA and 1.495 WHIP, and is getting worse. He is yielding an 8.61 ERA in his last four starts, giving up 32 hits in 23 innings with 14 strikeouts and five walks. The Marlins may have no choice now but to hang onto him and shop him again this winter,” he wrote.

Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young Award winner in the National League, has a brutal 7.14 ERA. He's dealt with some injuries, missing all of 2024, but he hasn’t been himself, and currently leads the National League with 77 earned runs. 

His strikeout numbers are also way down, striking out just 73 hitters in 97.0 Innings.

Perhaps if the Cubs could grab him, they’d believe he'd be better in Chicago, and that isn't the craziest thought, but it's still something the front office has to factor in.

Related: Cubs Showing Interest in Division Rival Defensive Wizard Ahead of Trade Deadline

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.