High-Upside Tigers Target Now No Longer Expected To Get Traded This Season

The Detroit Tigers are expected to be aggressive at the MLB trade deadline as one of the best teams in baseball this year, but their priorities might have shifted.

The starting rotation may be as needy as the bullpen after it was announced that their young star Jackson Jobe is undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.

While the rotation was a strength to start the season, they have picked up enough injuries where the front office might look to address it prior to the July 31 deadline.

More News: Tigers Pause Rehab of Disastrous Offseason Signing After Latest Hip Issue

Someone who was seen as a possible target was Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.

He was linked to the Tigers as a strong fit to pair with the reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, giving this rotation multiple high-upside arms they can pitch every fifth day.

Unfortunately, it seems like Alcantara might not be made available this season.

“Don’t expect the Marlins to trade Sandy Alcantara (7.14 ERA over 13 starts) while his value is down. Instead, they’re expected to keep him until he regains his Cy Young Award form, which might not happen until later this year and maybe even next,” Jim Bowden wrote for The Athletic (subscription required).

Alcantara was anticipated to be a popular target ahead of the trade deadline coming into the season, and even after he got off to an awful start, analysts still expected the Marlins to field calls for the former NL Cy Young winner.

More News: Detroit Tigers’ Fantastic Start Gives Franchise Huge Television Boost

However, his continued struggles have diminished his value to the pint where Miami might be better served holding onto him and seeing if he can find his past form in the latter stages of the campaign to move him during the upcoming winter or even during the 2026 season.

For Detroit, this could be both a blessing and a curse.

More News: Tigers' Top Deadline Target Should Be Cardinals All-Star Closer

While Alcantara could have been a great buy-low option if he turned things around, it would also have been a tough pill to swallow if they gave up assets and he still had poor outings.

Whether or not the Marlins actually hold onto him through the deadline will be something to monitor, but Bowden is expecting that to be the case, taking a popular name out of the equation.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.