The Red Sox are 19-27. Alex Cora is gone. Brayan Bello is pitching to a 7.16 ERA. Garrett Crochet — the guy they traded a franchise’s worth of capital for — is sitting at 6.30 and has already been to the IL with shoulder inflammation this season. The rotation is broken, the lineup can’t carry the load alone, and the team is fifth in the AL East with a 32.7% playoff probability that feels generous.
And somewhere in Miami, Sandy Alcantara is quietly having one of the best bounceback seasons in baseball.
According to FanGraphs and Baseball Savant, Alcantara is sitting on a 3.53 ERA, a 3.30 FIP, and an xERA of 3.29 over 63.2 innings in 2026. His fastball is averaging 97.3 mph — two years removed from Tommy John surgery. His last start was May 16 against Tampa Bay: 6 innings, 1 run, 6 strikeouts, win. The man is back, for real, and he’s the second-most valuable trade asset in baseball right now according to SI’s deadline big board.
The Red Sox know this. They already called Miami.
About 10 days ago, per Sean McAdam at MassLive via Newsweek, Boston’s front office got on the phone with the Marlins and told them specifically: don’t move him without checking back with us. That’s not a casual inquiry. That’s staking a claim. The Red Sox are treating Alcantara as their guy — which makes it all the more maddening when you look at their deadline history and realize they’ve done this dance before and found a reason to walk away.
Marlins TV broadcast acknowledges the Sandy Alcantara trade rumors.
Kyle Sielaff: "If this is it…Seriously, thank you for everything because he has been an amazing steward of this franchise."
Tommy Hutton: "Tremendous person. Great representative of the Miami Marlins." pic.twitter.com/EsIF7rW5Cd
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) July 23, 2025
Last July, Boston reportedly offered a package built around Jhostynxon Garcia, Payton Tolle, and Franklin Arias. The Marlins said no. The 2026 ask will be the same or steeper, because Alcantara has proven he’s all the way back. Marlins owner Bruce Sherman has made clear internally that he considers Alcantara a personal favorite and a clubhouse pillar — which is owner-speak for I don’t actually have to trade him and I don’t want to. The Marlins’ payroll is $73M. Alcantara costs them $17M this year and $21M next year on a club option. They can afford to keep him. There is no financial gun to their heads.
This is the part where the angry Red Sox fan argument gets its teeth: Craig Breslow told WEEI that Boston intends to be buyers at the deadline, that they’re “gonna be in a position to make moves that improve our outlook in ’26.” Great. We’ve heard versions of that before. In 2021, a team that made the ALCS stood pat at the deadline and got Hansel Robles. The last time Boston truly went for an ace — traded real, irreplaceable assets to get a frontline starter who could carry a postseason rotation — was 2003. Curt Schilling. Casey Fossum and three others, and it put them over the top.
Alcantara is the Schilling argument made modern. A legitimate number one, 97 mph, 3.29 xERA, post-Tommy John and proving every surface he’s the same pitcher he was when he won the 2022 Cy Young with a 2.28 ERA over 228 innings. The CBSNews Boston breakdown of the rotation situation makes the need plain enough that it shouldn’t require an argument.
The only thing standing between this deal and a Red Sox pennant chase is Breslow’s nerve, Sherman’s sentimentality, and an asking price in top prospects that Boston has protected a little too carefully for a team with a 19-27 record.
Call back. Pay the price. Stop waiting for the perfect moment that never comes.
