Astros Named Great Fit for Former NL Cy Young Award Winner at Trade Deadline

Despite losing their opening series to the Seattle Mariners after the All-Star break, the Houston Astros still are on top of the American League West.

With July quickly coming to a close, the Astros have proven to still be one of the best teams in the AL.

Coming into the year, there was reason to be concerned that the title window might have closed for Houston after being eliminated by Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Round.

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The Astros followed that loss with an interesting offseason that saw two of their best players head to new teams. However, Houston has been able to survive the loss of multiple All-Stars over the winter and has surprised a lot of people.

Now, with a chance to win the division and contend for an AL pennant, the Astros will be thinking about making some upgrades at the trade deadline. While their offense could use some help with a lot of injuries starting to pile up, the rotation could also use another arm to help complement the duo of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.

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Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN (subscription required) recently wrote about the Astros being a good fit for Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara.

“He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory,” they wrote.

It is no surprise to see the Marlins as sellers this summer, and their former National League Cy Young is a very interesting name to monitor.

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The right-hander was the best pitcher in the NL in 2022 and was quite good in 2023 as well. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2024 campaign after having Tommy John surgery. While the timing of the surgery allowed him to be back to start the 2025 campaign, he has had a hard time finding that elite form.

This season, Alcantara has totaled a 4-9 record and 7.14 ERA in 19 starts. Those aren’t good numbers, and he has given up at least four runs in each of his last four starts.

As a former NL Cy Young Award winner under team control, the Marlins aren’t simply going to give him away because he is pitching poorly.

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Houston is no stranger to adding star pitching at the trade deadline, and the more Alcantara pitches, he should start to round into form eventually.

With starting pitching being a need for the team, adding the right-hander would be a massive splash that could create an amazing rotation if he finds his rhythm in the second half of the year.

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