COULD SANDY ALCANTARA BE A YANKEE SOON?

Would the Yankees ever grow a spine, sack up, and actually trade for Sandy Alcantara? You remember that rumor, right? It was the hot, steamy, headline-dominating fling of last offseason… then it popped back up at the deadline like an ex who “just wants to talk.” And what happened? Nothing. Zip. Classic Yankees.

Part of the holdup is the Marlins convincing themselves they’re “competitive.” Sure. And I’m a Gold Glove second baseman. Miami, sweethearts, you don’t have a chance. It's adorable that you think you do, but no — you don’t.

Now here’s where it gets fun: Sandy Alcantara is exactly the kind of pitcher the Yankees pretend they’re bold enough to go get. He’s built for the Bronx. Power arm, bulldog attitude, and he’s proven he can carry a staff. But for a trade like that to happen, the Yankees would need to… brace yourself… sack up and move Anthony Volpe. Yes. I said it. Yes. I will die on this hill.

Package Volpe, add a couple minor leaguers, get Sandy, and call it a day. But will they? No. Because the Yankees are desperate to fix their mistake instead of admitting they made one. Volpe is the IKEA dresser with three missing screws — you keep trying to force it together while pretending it’s “fine.” Spoiler alert: it’s not. Volpe is trash, they picked wrong, and the scout who pushed that decision should be told to kick rocks in cheap cleats.

Anyway, back to sanity.

MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM dropped this on November 30 where former GM Jim Bowden said he thinks Alcantara to the Yankees is legit.

“I also think Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins has a legitimate shot of getting traded to the New York Yankees... I know they’ve had a lot of discussions; I think if the Yankees decided they would give up Spencer Jones—think of this for a minute—they trade Spencer Jones for Alcantara.”

Bowden is great when you need entertainment. Sometimes he even makes sense. But then he spirals into fantasyland, like when he insists the Yankees need Kyle Tucker. Buddy… if the Yankees re-sign Bellinger, that conversation ends. Full stop. Bellinger is the better fit in that scenario, period.

And Spencer Jones? Really? The Yankees waited two years for this kid to turn into a skyscraper that plays baseball, and Bowden wants to ship him off like an unwanted houseplant? Calm down, Jim. There are other creative paths to Alcantara that don’t involve gutting the future.

Nick Deeds from MLB Trade Rumors threw some ice water on everything, writing on November 28 that the Marlins expect to keep Alcantara:

“Alcantara, in particular, is someone that the organization ‘expects’ to still be in Miami on Opening Day.”

Deeds isn’t wrong — Sandy won a Cy Young in 2022, and even though he posted a 5.36 ERA over 31 starts last season, the Marlins aren’t going to sell low unless they absolutely lose their minds. And honestly? That’s fine. Rumor season is rumor season. Wake me up when someone actually does something.

But here’s the reality: the Yankees absolutely must upgrade their pitching. Mandatory. Required. Non-negotiable. Getting Max Fried was beautiful — chef’s kiss — but the rotation isn’t done. Not even close.

We can’t keep pretending Luis Gil is going to throw 180 innings without exploding. We can’t assume Cam Schlittler’s 2025 wasn’t a cosmic fluke. And we definitely can’t stroll into the season thinking, “Eh, good enough.”

WE. NEED. ONE. MORE. STARTER.

And Alcantara?
Yeah, he’s the guy.

Stay tuned — or more accurately, stay angry.