Cardinals urged to reunite with former Cy Young award winner

St. Louis Cardinals fans have been hearing about a trade the team made years ago, and how poorly it's gone. But, the mocking could come to an end if the Cardinals listen to Thomas Gauvain of Red Bird Rants.

Gauvain is urging the Cardinals to go out and find a star, and specifically, land Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. The righty from Miami is coming off Tommy John surgery, and he's struggled this year. But Gauvain is still urging the team to make the trade for Alcantara.

"He could be turning a corner as he distances himself from his surgeon." Gauvain wrote. "That would be an interesting star to add to a solid rotation for 2026 that will include Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore."

The Cardinals, with a couple of nice pieces in the rotation, will be losing both Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde after the 2025 season. Adding Alcantara, someone who will be around past the 2025 season, is a worthwhile move for the Cardinals to make.

He'd provide rotation depth in 2025 for a postseason run, while also being a presence on the roster for the 2026 season as well. If all goes well, the Cardinals could also invoke his 2027 team option and have him around for another season.

The Marlins will ask for a solid return, but the Cardinals could make a decent offer and land the former 2022 Cy Young Award winner in Alcantara. While adding a former Cy Young Award winner is tantalizing, his 2025 production leaves much to be desired.

In 2025, Alcantara had a 6.98 ERA and a 4-8 record. He had been on a solid streak lately, but after a disastrous seven-run outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, his ERA shot back up. He had a 2.74 ERA in June before that Diamondbacks start, and afterwards, his ERA jumped to 4.34. 

After Alcantara made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2017, he could be making his way back after eight years away from the team. The Cardinals need more starting pitching for the future, and Alcantara can help now and in the future. The only question is whether the front office is willing to buy after trying to trade their stars all offseason.