Sandy Alcantara fits the NY Mets better than Edward Cabrera, here’s the problem

We got a new dose of New York Mets rumors on Sunday with the Amazins being named among the teams vying to make a trade with the Miami Marlins for Edward Cabrera. 

A youngish starting pitcher with three years of control and no minor league options remaining, he’d have to be a definitive piece the Mets plan to keep for a couple of years to really make it worth their time. Sandy Alcantara, on the other hand, is kind of like Luis Robert Jr. Owed $17.3 million this coming year with a reasonable $21 million team option for 2027, he’s someone the Mets can add now and contemplate about in the future.

Alcantara had a bad year but a strong finish, posting a 3.33 ERA in the second-half. It was a complete reversal of how many Mets pitchers performed last year. The lay off from Tommy John surgery can be partly to blame as he readjusted. Whatever it was, turning their attention to him may come with a problem.

If the Marlins trade Edward Cabrera first, are they going to trade Sandy Alcantara as well?

The Marlins are sort of trying to compete next year. They wouldn’t have signed Pete Fairbanks for $13 million if they had visions of sitting the 2026 season out. Finishing just 4 games out of a playoff spot, owning the tie-breaker over the Mets and Cincinnati Reds, the idea of trading away anyone from the starting pitcher staff would be about getting players they think can help them out immediately, if not, by the 2027 season.

The Mets can certainly match some of the best offers out there for Cabrera. Their deep system of pitching and position players who do and don’t have MLB experience makes them a great trade partner for many scenarios. This includes the Marlins who’d probably like to assure themselves the Mets feel some pain from the trade.

There hasn’t been much of a sign the Marlins are ready to trade Alcantara. The last story on MLB Trade Rumors that even mentions him is on December 2 with nothing more than a note about him being on teams’ wishlists.

Choosing to trade Cabrera over Alcantara could mean a few things for the Marlins. The price on Cabrera could be conceivably higher because of the lower salary and years of control versus. They may also value some of the same reasons why Alcantara fits the Mets better. He will, at minimum, eat a lot of innings. His strong finish wasn’t quite Cy Young worthy but had him trending toward frontliner starter once more.

Cabrera seems like the lesser of two possible additions the Mets could make to their starting staff this year. Alcantara feels like the headliner even if he isn’t the preferred choice. 

If the Mets have any intentions of acquiring Alcantara, they should act quickly. It doesn’t feel like the Marlins will remove two starters this offseason.