The San Diego Padres have some rotation issues. Dylan Cease is struggling, and Michael King and Yu Darvish are among a slew of pitchers on the injured list. To bolster the starting rotation, the Padres could look to the trade market and land a star.
PJ Potter of Friars On Base called for the Padres to land a starting pitcher. He specifically called out 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara as a pitcher the Padres should trade for.
"Going after Sandy Alcantara might not be a bad move." Potter wrote. "He isn't on a lofty contract, the Padres would not have to give up the entire farm for him, and his arsenal just needs a little bit of tinkering to potentially come back to his dominant self once again."
The Marlins' ace is struggling this season, with a 6.98 ERA through his first 16 starts. He's significantly worse than the 2.28 ERA from 2022 when he won the National League Cy Young award.
As Potter points out, the Padres would need to tweak Alcantara's mechanics or arsenal a bit to get him back on track. While it's a risk, considering Alcantara's history, there's no reason the Padres shouldn't try.
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Another reason why a trade for Alcantara would work is his contract. He's under team control through the 2026 season on a reasonable deal, making $17.3 million this season and next.
That's a reasonable contract for a former Cy Young winner, but it's even better. Alcantara has a club option for 2027 at $20 million. If he rediscovers his dominant stuff in San Diego, the Padres would have the option to keep him for an extra year.
There's a chance Alcantara has lost his stuff, but the Padres should take a chance on him. If it works out, the Padres would be getting a massive steal. He missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, and it's not uncommon for pitchers to be back to normal the year after their first year back from injury.
His struggles have lowered his price tag, and the Padres would be able to land the Marlins' ace for much less than he normally would've gone for had it not been for his injury and his struggles this season.
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