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By Ben Watanabe
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Miami Marlins didn't push all their chips to the center of the table at the MLB trade deadline, but they didn't fold, either.
In trading away Liam Hicks, one of the most productive members of their lineup, the Marlins likely weakened an offense that was already in the bottom third of baseball. At the same time, they held onto starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, sending a message that they weren't entirely setting fire to their slim playoff hopes.
That was apparently the plan with Alcantara all along.
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The Marlins "never" had any interest in dealing their ace, New York Post and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman revealed Monday. The 30-year-old right-hander will remain in Miami through at least the end of this season and help the Marlins continue their push for an NL Wild Card spot. Entering Tuesday, the Marlins were two games back of the third and final wild card position, stalking the reeling Philadelphia Phillies.
While Alcantara hasn't recaptured the dominance of his 2022 Cy Young Award campaign, when he compiled a ridiculous 8.0 WAR and pitched six complete games, he's a solid pitcher and an absolute horse. He leads the league with 24 starts and 156 2/3 innings pitched this season, and is on track to start at least 28 games for the sixth time in his career. Although he missed all of 2024 due to injury, the simple rule with Alcantara is that if he can pitch, he will.
Don't get ahead of yourself, though. Keeping Alcantara doesn't signal a new win-now era in Little Havana. Alcantara's contract expires at the end of this season, unless the Marlins exercise a $21 million team option. The team has resisted overtures to trade him for years, but faced with the prospect of paying him almost double what they are this season, Miami might finally have to swallow hard and watch Alcantara walk out the door.
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