Could Trade to Dodgers Be Secret Recipe to Return Ace to ‘Former Glory’?

The Los Angeles Dodgers came into the season with seemingly the best pitching staff in baseball, but injuries have destroyed most of the top arms. Los Angeles’ pitching staff is barely averaging four innings per start at this point.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently suggested the Dodgers would be one of the best fits in a trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.

“Alcantara was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2022, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously. He was more solid than spectacular in 2023 and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery,” Passan wrote. “He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory. His 7.14 ERA is unsightly, and with the Marlins still valuing him as a top starter, they could hold on to him until the winter, when teams such as the Baltimore Orioles would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract.”

The Dodgers are certainly the level of aggressive it would take to land a star like Alcántara. The righty also has a few years of affordable team control left on his deal, which would fit perfectly with the Dodgers’ payroll.

The Marlins need to trade him before he drops his trade value any further. Trading him now would almost certainly net at least one star prospect in return.

If the Marlins hunt a trade with the Dodgers, they could pursue former top prospects Bobby Miller and James Outman as well as talented prospects like Justin Wrobleski and plenty of others.

Either way, the Dodgers are the right level of aggressive and desperate to make a deal like this come to life this month.

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