Yankees Connected to League-Altering Trade With Marlins

The Miami Marlins certainly find themselves in an uncomfortable position before the MLB trade deadline, because while the team has established itself as a legitimate playoff contender, the front office may be prepared to sell regardless.

Should the Marlins decide to move some pieces before July 31, starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara may be among the names to change teams, and the New York Yankees could ultimately serve as the former Cy Young's winner's destination.

Ely Sussman of Fish on First has pegged the Yankees as one of the potential landing spots for Alcantara ahead of the deadline, which does not come as much of a surprise given how badly New York's starting rotation has been devastated by injuries this season.

The Yankees have been floundering for the better part of the last two months and now find themselves five-and-a-half games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. They did just acquire a couple of infielders in Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario, but there is no question that their pitching could use a boost, as well.

Alcantara shined in his last start, pitching seven shutout innings in a win over the San Diego Padres last week. However, he owns a 6.66 ERA in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, so red flags definitely exist for the 29-year-old.

New York is notoriously stingy with its top prospects, so Miami may not be able to snatch away any of the Yankees' top young talents in any potential Alcantara deal.

Should New York acquire Alcantara, it could potentially reshape the league as we know it so long as the right-hander builds on his most recent outing. But whether or not the surging Marlins — who are 25-13 over their last 38 games — actually decide to sell remains to be seen.