Marlins demanding Yankees' electric outfield prospect in deal for starting pitcher

The New York Yankees are locked in discussions with the Miami Marlins, eyeing two very different arms to bolster their rotation.

On one side is Sandy Alcantara, the former Cy Young winner working his way back from Tommy John surgery and a rocky return season.

He currently carries a 6.36 ERA over 109 innings, a stat line that screams risk but whispers future upside if patience prevails.

Alcantara is under team control through 2028, with a 2027 club option, making him a long-term bet at a reasonable cost.

Edward Cabrera offers present value and untapped potential

If Alcantara is the reclamation project, Edward Cabrera is the here-and-now impact arm the Yankees could slot in immediately.

The 27-year-old right-hander boasts a 3.35 ERA across 94 innings this season, flashing the electric stuff scouts have raved about for years.

Cabrera’s combination of strikeout ability and team control through 2029 makes him exactly the type of arm Brian Cashman covets.

However, he has battled his own injuries, raising fair questions about durability despite his tantalizing upside as a rotation fixture.

The Marlins are reportedly demanding Spencer Jones in any package, per MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, and the Yankees are hesitating.

Jones, 24, has been obliterating Triple-A pitching, slashing an absurd .402/.461/.920 since his recent promotion.

He’s been one of the hottest hitters in minor-league baseball, a left-handed power bat that could soon anchor Yankee Stadium’s lineup.

Trading him now would feel like selling a winning lottery ticket before scratching the last row of numbers.

Do they cash in a premium prospect for pitching that could stabilize the rotation and spark a postseason push?

Or do they hold firm, trusting that Jones’ bat will soon become the type of franchise cornerstone you can’t replace?

The Yankees are desperate for rotation stability, but trading Jones for Alcantara’s uncertainty or Cabrera’s injury risk is a serious gamble.

In many ways, it’s the kind of tightrope walk that defines a front office: risk the future to save the present.

As the trade deadline inches closer, the Yankees must weigh patience against urgency in a season teetering on the edge.

Jones represents hope and long-term firepower, while Alcantara and Cabrera offer solutions to a rotation that feels one injury from collapse.

If Cashman pulls the trigger, he’ll bet on pitching carrying New York through October—but he knows the cost could echo for years.

For now, the Yankees’ biggest move may be the one they ultimately decide not to make.

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