Yankees face big change in Sandy Alcantara trade rumors
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The New York Yankees and Sandy Alcantara have been connected in trade rumors for what seems like a long time.
Maybe that's no longer the case with the Miami Marlins' starting pitcher.
In a new ESPN article on Wednesday by Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, they named the best trade fits for Alcantara. And one team was conspicuous by their absence: the Yankees.
Their list included the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Padres, A's, Rays, Braves, White Sox and Brewers, so it's not like they were being too precise.
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Alcantara has a 40% chance to be traded, they write, so nothing is a given anyway. But apparently, the Yankees might be out of the mix here.
That goes back to the Yanks themselves as much as anything else. They've got a pretty strong pitching rotation already when everyone is healthy.
Part of the reason Alcantara seemed to make so much sense last year was that Gerrit Cole was out for the whole season. With Cole back, Alcantara becomes less important.
The big righty for the Marlins has also been not quite at his peak self, limiting the upside of a deal a little bit.
"If he's your No. 1 starter, you're probably not going very far," Passan and McDaniel write. "If he's your No. 3, you've got a good playoff rotation. Bonus points to teams with good infield defenses to account for Alcantara's strikeout rate of 6.57 per nine innings, which ranks 62nd of 68 qualified starters. One potential snag: The Marlins might actually be good."
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Maybe the Yankees end up having to face Alcantara in the playoffs, but it doesn't seem like he'll be getting to wear pinstripes anytime soon.
That could change if the Yankees have any pitching injuries in the next month, but for now, such a deal seems off the table.