That puts Miami in a tough spot where they want to simultaneously try to improve and build for the future at the same time. That could make the team hesitant to give away some players that were considered trade assets even a few months ago. According to Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout of Fish in first placeright-handed people Edward Cabrera And Sandy Alcantara There are hardly any locks to trade this winter. Alcantara in particular is someone from the organization “expected” to still be in Miami on opening day.
There’s certainly some logic to that, as the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner was one of the league’s best pitchers in the not-too-distant past. A season in which Alcantara pitched a 5.36 ERA through 31 starts certainly lowered his value, but if the Marlins still believe in the 30-year-old, there’s no reason to sell low. That’s especially true since he’s one of the few players on the Marlins roster making significant money. There have been some indications recently that the Marlins could be concerned about a possible complaint from the MLBPA over their lack of spending, and trading Alcantara would be counterproductive to any efforts to prove that the club is using revenue-sharing dollars for the on-field product.
That leaves the 27-year-old Cabrera as the most likely piece of the pair to move, although Barral and Azout both note the Marlins should get an edge “overwhelming return” to pull the trigger on a transaction. That is a sensible position. Cabrera had a breakout season in 2025, posting a 3.53 ERA and 3.83 FIP over 26 starts. He struck out 25.8% of his opponents against a walk rate of just 8.3% this year, and his fastball average of 90.0 mph is on the radar, the fastest velocity of his career to date. A young starter on the rise with three years of team control would certainly be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market, and the Marlins have no reason to rush a trade for that reason. The Mets and Cubs were among the teams linked to Cabrera when he was on the market this summer, and both appear to be looking for rotational help again this winter.
Trading an impact starter may not necessarily be in the cards for Miami this winter, and if they don’t, they’ll keep a fearsome rotation on paper of Alcantara, Cabrera, Eury Perez, Braxton GarrettAnd Ryan Weers with players like Max Meijer, Robby Snelling, Janson JunkAnd Ryan likes it provide depth behind that group. There are enough health questions within that group of weapons that it’s not impossible to fit another starter into the mix, and previous connections have been made between the Marlins and the right-hander Michael King. Barral and Azout suggest reuniting with the club’s 12th-round pick from the 2016 draft is a good idea. “very unlikely” However.
That may not be such a big surprise. While King is coming off a down season, making just 15 starts due to shoulder issues, MLBTR projected him to land a four-year, $80 million contract in free agency this season. That would be quite a step forward for a Marlins team that hasn’t spent much more than the $53 million contract they signed Avisail Garcia back in 2021 in recent years, at least through free agency. Adding a player like King to that price tag would be a bold move, especially considering the starting rotation is already a strong point for the club. The Cubs and Orioles are both already tied to King in free agency this offseason, and more teams are sure to be interested in the right-hander after he showed his top-level potential with the Padres in 2024.
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