Why Dodgers must trade for Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara

The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions. They’ve created the start of what appears to be a sustainable dynasty by making big and aggressive moves. They’ve been huge spenders in free agency, and they haven’t shied away from making blockbuster trades. With team finances seemingly not a concern for Los Angeles, the Dodgers will surely continue to bring in big-name players, especially via the trade market.

As it stands, the Dodgers are in a great place to three-peat. Their 42 wins are the second most in baseball, and their roster is littered with superstar talent, depth, and prospects. That extends to every area of the game. There are some megastar position players, plenty of relievers, and a great starting pitching rotation. Los Angeles actually ranks first in team ERA (3.17), WHIP (1.07), and batting average against (.208).

That shouldn’t stop the Dodgers from adding even more arms, though. After all, the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees (three times) are the only back-to-back-to-back champions in MLB history, so not getting complacent will be a necessity for the Dodgers if they want to win the World Series again. One big-name starting pitcher has been involved in trade rumors for quite some time now, so who is this player that the Dodgers must trade for?

The Dodgers must trade for Sandy Alcantara

Sandy Alcantara won the National League Cy Young award in 2022. During that season with the Miami Marlins, Alcantara led the NL in WAR (8.0), innings pitched (228.2), and complete games (six). The years since haven’t been so pretty. Alcantara had Tommy John surgery the very next year, which forced him to miss all of 2024. Upon his return in 2025, both he and his Marlins struggled.

Despite regular trade rumors, Miami was never offered much of value for their ace, though, so they held onto him. That decision proved to be the right one, as Alcantara is again leading the league in a number of statistical categories, including innings pitched (89.1) and shutouts (one). He has a respectable 4.33 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. This resurgence has revitalized trade interest.

The Dodgers already have tons of solid starting pitchers. Shohei Ohtani is arguably having a better season on the mound than he is with his bat, and Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Gavin Stone, and Blake Snell are all good to great players. However, Glasnow, Snell, and Stone are all on the 60-Day Injured List, and considering Los Angeles uses a six-man rotation to preserve the health of their pitchers and to ensure Ohtani can be maximized as a two-way player, the team can’t have too much depth. The team has plenty of injuries in their bullpen, too, including an elbow injury to Edwin Diaz.

Injury problems to their pitchers have been somewhat commonplace for the Dodgers during their recent runs, but they’ve often brought in reinforcements to stabilize the pitching unit. A trade for Alcantara would do just that. Alcantara, who has already started to return to form, could be even more motivated with a change of scenery to a team that offers him a chance to compete for the world title.

Alcantara only has one more year on his contract, a club option worth $21 million. If the pitcher continues to look like the Cy Young of old, then the Dodgers have yet another superstar acquisition on their hands. If the team starts to get healthy and doesn’t have a place for him long term, then they can let him walk in free agency at season’s end. Either way, the Dodgers have to be viewed as frontrunners anytime a superstar is on the trading block, and that most definitely pertains to Alcantara, too.

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