Sandy Alcantara entered the new season, appearing to have recaptured his NL Cy Young form from 2022. In his last two appearances, Alcantara was on fire, throwing at least 8 innings each. But the Miami Marlins’ manager perhaps seemed unsure of how to handle him during games. What followed was a set of bizarre decisions about Alcantara, which put a question mark on his managerial capabilities.
The Marlins faced off against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. With Tarik Skubal starting for the Tigers, Alcantara taking the mound for the Marlins made the match a pitcher vs. pitcher one. However, Alcantara’s six-inning start fell short of expectations. As Alcantara turned expensive by giving up 10 hits and 7 earned runs, manager Clayton McCullough’s decision to leave him in the game appears questionable. MLB Insider Mike Rodriguez wrote on X that such decisions from McCullough do not help the starter.
“Attention Sandy Alcántara: the situation with that team is cause for concern. The manager’s handling leaves doubts,” remarked Rodriguez on X. “He was recently pulled from the game without clear communication, as if he weren’t their ace, and now he’s being allowed to continue despite giving up 10 hits and 7 runs. This type of decision doesn’t help his performance or his confidence. #Marlins.”
In the 6 innings Alcantara pitched against the Tigers, 59 were strikes out of his 100 throws. He also gave up 3 homers and 2 walks while striking out 4. Tarik Skubal, on the other hand, put on an impressive show. In 6.2 innings, Skubal allowed only 2 hits, 1 run, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, with 62 of them going for strikes.
As Rodriguez highlighted, McCullough appeared indecisive on how deep Alcantara should pitch in a game. In his previous outings against the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, the ace threw as many as 9.0 and 8.1 innings, respectively.
Atención Sandy Alcántara: la situación con ese equipo genera preocupación. El manejo del dirigente deja dudas; recientemente fue retirado del juego sin comunicación clara, como si no se tratara de su as, y ahora se le permite continuar pese a recibir 10 imparables y 7 carreras.… pic.twitter.com/Clkdbi8iAB
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) April 12, 2026
However, against the Reds, McCullough had pulled the right-hander out abruptly, which did not yield good results for the Marlins.
In the April 7 game against the Reds, Alcantara threw 95 pitches, 67 for strikes, over 8.1 innings. He struck out 6 while allowing only 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks.
Alcantara was two outs away from a shutout after entering the ninth inning, when Matt McLain’s double and a walk to Elly De La Cruz put two runners on base. Marlins’ manager McCullough chose that moment to pull Alcantara out and replace him with reliever Anthony Bender.
It was clearly not the right decision, as Bender blew the 2-0 lead, and Miami lost the game 6-3 in 10 innings.
After the game, Alcantara reportedly said that, though he understands, McCullough could not have predicted the outcome, the Marlins should ask him before pulling him out of a game like that.
“I understand there’s a decision, and you cannot control it. It just happened. It just happened. So I’ll be there with my teammates and my coaches, but I think next time, they have to make sure to ask me before taking me out of the game.”
This pair of conflicting decisions within a week of each other highlights a bizarre and inconsistent approach to handling the team’s ace, drawing concern from insiders and the player himself.
With Alcantara’s contract nearing its expiration soon, the Miami Marlins might look to trade the right-handed ace this season.
Potential Trade Partner— Houston Astros
Sandy Alcantara’s five-year, $56 million contract extension will end after the 2026 season with a club option in 2027. This means his time in Miami could be coming to an end very soon.
After his 2022 Cy Young year, Alcantara’s stats dropped as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 that ended his 2024 season. But even if Alcantara gains his 2022 form back this year, the Marlins may not be able to afford the ace in a market that will surely offer him higher values.
Hence, trading Alcantara might be the Marlins’ best option, as they can also gain some prospects in return.
As for the Houston Astros, the franchise is already suffering from a rotation depth crisis with veteran Cristian Javier and ace Hunter Brown on the IL. Moreover, they recently lost another starter, Cody Bolton, mid-game against the Seattle Mariners due to lower back tightness. The Astros are currently on a seven-game losing streak, and offseason additions like Tatsuya Imai have had limited success.
If Alcantara has indeed recaptured his 2022 form, he could be exactly the kind of pitcher the Astros need to turn their season around.
