Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara just signed a major extension. Seems smart, but team history is shaky at best when it comes to big pitcher deals.
Shortly before the MLB lockout went into effect, the Miami Marlins made a major splash by signing staff ace Sandy Alcantara to five-year, $56 million contract extension.
But, should they have?
On the surface, absolutely. One of only four pitchers to log over 200 innings pitched last season, Alcantara established himself as one of the most reliable starters in the majors last season. Nobody had more starts, and only one pitcher (Walker Buehler) had more quality starts. Coming off a career-best season, there’s no quibbling with the on-the-field results.
Off the field, the move checks plenty of boxes for a rebuilding Miami Marlins franchise with an unfortunate track record of trading away their stars once they got too expensive. That last point touches upon what was perhaps the most shocking part of this extension, as Alcantara just set an MLB-record for extension dollar value with so much team control left. Notable for any club, but stunning for the traditionally cash-poor Marlins. It’s the surest financial sign yet that things might, just might, be changing in Little Havana.
However, if franchise history is any guide, the Marlins might have just made a huge mistake.
It’s a pitching rich history in Miami, to be sure, from Rookie of the Year winners and formidable veterans, to All-Stars and World Series MVPs. Yet every time the time came to break out the checkbook in a big way, and the Marlins actually did so, the return on investment has been questionable at best.
Now, that’s not to say extending Alcantara definitely was a mistake. Not by any means. Personally, this Marlins fan would have been more likely to advise giving up on the Marlins and buying some sweet Rays merchandise if the club hadn’t paid up for Alcantara than to criticize them for doing so.
Still, the fact remains that if the Marlins are still getting decent value out of this deal in 2024, it can safely be considered the best contract extension or free agent signing of a pitcher in team history.
Consequently, this seems like a great time to look back on the five biggest contracts the Miami Marlins have ever doled out to a pitcher, and how much the organization ultimately got back in return. Only then can a truly fair verdict on the Sandy Alcantara extension be made. So let’s take a trip down Marlins memory lane, starting with…