New York Yankees acquire Sandy Alcantara, the star pitcher of the Miami Marlins, in the pre-2026 MLB offseason transfer window.

The New York Yankees have yet to make a big splash this MLB offseason, but could they be brewing a move before spring training begins for the 2026 season?

New York has quality arms in their starting rotation, such as Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón. However, one former MLB general manager believes that this group could get a significant boost for next season.

In an audio video that MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM published on November 30, former general manager Jim Bowden stated that the Yankees are a prime destination for Miami Marlins star Sandy Alcantara.

“I also think Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins has a legitimate shot of getting traded to the New York Yankees,” Bowden said. “I know they’ve had a lot of discussions; I think if the Yankees decided they would give up Spencer Jones—think of this for a minute—they could sign Kyle Tucker in free agency and then trade Spencer Jones for Alcantara.

“Now you’ve added Kyle Tucker and Sandy Alcantara to the team that won 94 games last year, and that would be a game changer for them.”

Yankees Unlikely to Be a Kyle Tucker Destination
While Bowden floats Kyle Tucker to the Yankees as a potential domino effect that could allow for New York to secure Alcantara, one MLB insider doesn’t see the former Houston Astros star heading to the Big Apple.

“I do think the Blue Jays are a definite bidder in this,” Heyman said on November 14 during an appearance on MLB Network about the potential suitors for Tucker. “We’ll see if they do get him. I could see the Dodgers, the Giants, and potentially the Phillies.

“You hear speculation about the New York teams, but I don’t see that. The New York teams have pretty good right fielders, right? They have Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. So I’m not seeing that. I don’t know—maybe somebody knows something I don’t know, but not for me.”

Alcantara’s Performance & Upside
After missing all of the 2024 MLB season, Alcantara made 31 starts while recording an 11-12 record, 5.36 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 142 strikeouts. It’s a far cry from his Cy Young form. A change of scenery and joining a playoff run with a World Series-contending team could jump-start Alcántara, helping him regain his past form since he’s only 30 years old.

Marlins Could Decide to Keep Sandy Alcantara
Despite the rumors, Nick Deeds of MLB Trade Rumors believes that the Marlins will hold onto Alcantara through the offseason.

“Alcantara, in particular, is someone that the organization ‘expects’ to still be in Miami on Opening Day,” Deeds wrote in an article published on November 28. “There’s certainly some logic in that, as the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner was one of the league’s best pitchers in the not-too-distant past.

“A season where Alcantara pitched to a 5.36 ERA across 31 starts surely lowered his value, but if the Marlins still believe in the 30-year-old, there’s no reason to sell low. That’s especially true because he’s one of the few players on the Marlins’ roster making significant money.

“There have been some indications recently that the Marlins could be worried about a potential grievance from the MLBPA due to their lack of spending, and trading Alcantara away would be counterproductive to any efforts to prove that the club is using revenue-sharing dollars on the on-field product.”

Let me know if you want a more dramatic rewrite or a clickbait-style headline.