Miami Marlins make smart move with Sandy Alcantara extension
By Kevin Henry
The Miami Marlins took a proactive stance toward ensuring their future on the mound on Monday morning, reportedly nearing a contract extension with starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara.
According to a tweet from Craig Mish of The Miami Herald, once the deal is completed, the Miami Marlins will lock up Alcantara for the next five seasons with a guaranteed contract in the neighborhood of $55 million (roughly an average annual value of $11 million per year or a bit higher once final numbers are known). Once inked, per MLBTradeRumors.com, that will mark a new record for a pitcher between three and four years of Major League Baseball service, topping the five-year, $51 million deal earned by Carlos Martinez of the St. Louis Cardinals in early 2017.
Here’s why the Sandy Alcantara is good news for Miami Marlins fans and a smart move for the franchise
The news brings to a close extension talks that have been going on between Alcantara and the Marlins. It also puts an end to any thought of arbitration talks with the 26-year-old right-hander, who was scheduled to undergo arbitration for the first time this offseason.
Alcantara tied for the Major League Baseball lead with 33 starts last season, posting a 3.19 ERA (3.42 FIP) over 205.2 innings. He struck out 201 while allowing just 50 walks, earning him a career-high strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.02. He also became the first Marlins pitcher to throw more than 200 innings since Mark Buerhle in 2012 and the first right-hander to do it since Josh Johnson in 2009.
Originally acquired from the Cardinals in the Marcell Ozuna trade in December of 2017, Alcantara made his second consecutive Opening Day start this past season. Over his last 10 outings of the season, Alcantara posted a 2.21 ERA and struck out 80 in 69.1 innings, holding opponents to a .205 average.
Additionally, Alcantara pitched a MLB-high six games in 2021 where he worked 8.0 innings and allowed one run or less.
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Miami can now look to 2022 and beyond with a young, talented rotation that includes Alcantara, National League Rookie of the Year runner-up Trevor Rogers, and Pablo López, who posted solid numbers in 2021 despite missing time with a rotator cuff issue. With Jesús Luzardo in the rotation mix as well, Monday’s extension news gives Marlins fans something else to be excited about heading into next season.