Could the Miami Marlins make a trade to fill Sandy’s absence?

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The Miami Marlins are without their ace Sandy Alcantara for the 2024 season and they will need a replacement. The replacement should be a solid arm and ideally another ace or top tier pitcher, but it’s unlikely the Marlins take that route. More than likely the Marlins will lean on their current pitchers to pick up the slack and will add a bottom of the rotation arm.

The Miami Marlins could do nothing if new President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix thinks former GM Kim Ng’s deadline add Ryan Weathers will do the job, which is highly unlikely. Weathers has had an abysmal start to his career and he currently holds a career 5.88 ERA. Weathers was even worse with the Marlins. Over his two starts and one relief appearance he pitched 13 innings and posted a 7.62 ERA while giving up 13 hits. He gave up 3 home runs and 11 earned runs and had an absurd 1.923 WHIP. I can’t see Bendix finding any value in those stats, and I can imagine he will be dealt if possible or at a minimum, cut.

The question remains, what type of pitcher is available for trade and there are multiple high profile names that could be a target for the Marlins. I really think they will not go big however and will source a 5 arm in their rotation and bump everyone up. Here we will look at a few different options for the Marlins to acquire via trade.

Alek Manoah

Could Alek Manoah regain his All-Star form in 2024 or will he be a victim of the pitch clock? The 2022 All-Star starting pitcher had a terrible 2023 season and was subsequently demoted twice. Manoah struggled through 87.1 innings and posted a 5.87 ERA with a 1.740 WHIP. That’s not all, Manoah gave up the long ball at almost double the rate he did in 2022, which shows just how much he was struggling.

Manoah will be a useful add when it comes to payroll as his salary was only $746,000 last season, so Marlins execs will be in favor of that, it’s certainly a cheap gamble. Manoah could be a lesson to the Marlins as well, who have a few young arms that are exceeding career limits and they will need to be coached to not exhaust pitching arms which is what could have occurred with Manoah.

Will teams be vying for him, I think so since his salary is low so the risk is low. Could the Marlins swing Weathers for Manoah as a trade? Doubtful but they might want to try. I don’t think getting rid of Weathers will hurt and the Blue Jays will want a replacement. Weathers might have more upside due to his low usage but Manoah could have more upside if he can regain form. Seems like the perfect match for a trade.

Cal Quantrill

One more option for the Miami Marlins to look into might be starting pitcher Cal Quantrill. Quantrill was another pitch clock sufferer and his 3.38 ERA 2022 season turned into 5.24 over his 19 starts. In 2021 his ERA was an impressive 2.89, and as such he would be an amazing fit if he can regain his form.

Quantrill has a downside as compared to Manoah however, as he is much more expensive. The gamble for most teams might not seem to bad as he made $5 million last season but the Marlins could use $5 million free to spend if Quantrill doesn’t work out as they hope.

The Marlins have many needs which makes Quantrill a less likely move but it would be an interesting gamble. The Marlins could use a catcher and shortstop that might take up all the money. The Marlins will need to be active to continue to compete. If it were up to me I would go for Manoah between these two as they will both have an impact but Manoah has a far greater upside. Even if Manoah is 90% of what he used to be that is still better than many.

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