Ex-Cardinal Is Baseball's Most Polarizing Blockbuster Candidate

There are under two months to go until the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline and one former member of the St. Louis Cardinals is going to be the most polarizing figure as we approach the July 31st deadline.

The Cardinals traded Sandy Alcántara to the Miami Marlins ahead of the 2018 season and he developed into a star. There was a time in which Alcántara was the most dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball. He won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award and had a 3.31 ERA across 138 starts from 2018 through the 2023 season.

Alcántara missed the 2024 season, though, and has been trying to get rid of the rust this year. It hasn't worked and he has pitched to a 8.47 ERA in 11 starts. Miami clearly is going to be a seller this summer and Alcántara has the biggest name of any of the Marlins' trade candidates. But, will a team bet on his potential or focus more on the short-term issues?

Miami opted to hang on to him this past offseason and USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale said the move has "backfired."

"The Miami Marlins’ plan to enhance ace Sandy Alcantara’s trade value by hanging onto him until the deadline has backfired – at least in the early-going," Nightengale said. "Alcantara, who’s returning from Tommy John surgery, is yielding a hideous 8.47 ERA, allowing the most earned runs of any pitcher in baseball."

Will the former Cardinal be on the move or stick around in Miami until the offseason?