Blue Jays trade deadline target: Sandy Alcántara

It seems like the Toronto Blue Jays are going to get a few arms ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

Without question, the Jays will need at least two relievers, but they could also look at a starter. Coming into Sunday’s game, the Blue Jays had the seventh-worst ERA (4.40) from starting pitchers, with their 4.53 FIP ranking as the sixth-worst.

Adding another starter would be a bit tricky, as the question then becomes, who will come out of the rotation? Eric Lauer has been terrific this season, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, and Kevin Gausman aren’t going to come out of the rotation, and Max Scherzer had his best start of the season on Sunday.

That said, they’ll need to look ahead to 2026 and beyond, as both Scherzer and Bassitt are on expiring deals. The player we’ll look at in this article, Sandy Alcántara, would be an intriguing addition to the Blue Jays’ rotation if they went down that path.

Scouting report

Alcántara stands at 6’5”, 200 lbs and has a four-pitch mix: A four-seam fastball that averages 98 mph, a sinker, a changeup, and a slider. After missing the entirety of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, the 29-year-old hasn’t found much success in 2025, authoring a 6.66 ERA and 4.47 FIP in 104 innings pitched, with a 16.7 K% and an 8.5 BB%.

Looking at his Baseball Savant page compared to previous seasons, Alcántara isn’t getting a lot of chases outside the zone, which downplays the effect of the fastball. He’s also walking more batters than usual (8.5 BB%) while his K% is down to 16.7%.

In his most recent start on July 23rd, Alcántara pitched seven innings with four hits allowed and one unearned run, so that’s an encouraging sign.

It’s not unexpected that Alcántara has struggled this season, given the missed 2024 season. That said, his 2025 season has been a far cry from his 2022 National League Cy Young campaign, where he posted a 2.28 ERA and a 2.99 FIP in 228.2 innings pitched. That season, his K% sat at 23.4% while he had a 5.6 BB%.

Trading for Alcántara is a high-risk, high-reward type of move, but let’s take a look at his contract situation.

Contract situation

In 2025, Alcántara earns $17.3 million toward the payroll, while only $11.2 million goes towards the luxury tax. He’ll earn the same amount for the 2026 season, with a team option worth $21 million in 2027. If that is selected, Alcántara is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season.

The Blue Jays are already past the competitive balance tax of $241 million, but if they go $40 million over, their first draft pick will drop down 10 spots. With a current luxury payroll of $272 million, they’ll likely go over that threshold.

How does Alcántara help the Blue Jays?

Alcántara’s current numbers are a bit of a concern, but after missing a full season thanks to Tommy John, it’s not unexpected. Trading for Alcántara would be in hopes that he’ll return to his 2022 form, and his outing on July 23rd is an encouraging sign that it’s still possible.

With at least one more year on his contract, Alcántara helps both short-term and long-term, and if he continues to struggle in the 2026 season, he has a buyout option for $2 million after the season. It’s a high-risk, high-reward type of trade, but at his best, Alcántara would easily be the Blue Jays’ ace.