Yankees: 4 strategic trades NYY should pursue this offseason

3. Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara

The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara would be an excellent addition to the Yanks’ starting rotation. He has a live fastball and ridiculous stuff. His slider is outstanding, and he has developed a deceptive changeup. His curveball is average. Alcantara needs to improve the command of his pitches before graduating to elite MLB pitching status, but he’s knocking on the door.

Alcantara has had a successful 2021 season, even on a struggling Marlins team. A prior All-Star, he is 9-13, and he has a 3.10 ERA with 185 strikeouts and a 1.055 WHIP. His WAR is 4.3.

He turned 26 this month, and he is just entering his prime. He earned $630,000 in 2021. Alcantara won’t become a free agent until 2025, and he is therefore affordable (from that standpoint). Alcantara would be an excellent complement to Gerrit Cole in the starting rotation.

The Bombers should aggressively pursue him. Of course, the Marlins know they have a promising pitcher, and they will likely demand a lot in return for Alcantara. If this proves impossible, New York shouldn’t let the Marlins off the phone; Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernández also make sense.