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Hunter Mulholland is a Newsweek contributor based in St. Louis, Missouri. His focus is MLB Content. Hunter has been with Newsweek since April 2025 and previously worked at Fansided and STL Sports Central. He is a graduate of Westminster College (MO). You can get in touch with Hunter by emailing h.mulholland@newsweek.com.
Hunter Mulholland
Contributing Sports Writer
🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
The New York Yankees attempted to swing a deal with the Miami Marlins for their former Cy Young winner, Sandy Alcantara, but ultimately, no trade was made.
According to MLB Insider Jon Heyman, the Marlins asked for either Spencer Jones or George Lombard Jr. from New York, but the Yankees refused to give up their No. 4 and No. 1 prospects.
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Alcantara was expected to be moved at the trade deadline entering the season, but as the former Cy Young Award winner returned from injury, his performances weren’t up to the standard he had set.
The drop in performance likely caused interested teams to drop their price for the right-hander when the deadline came around, despite Alcantara rebounding slightly after the All-Star break.
The Yankees were reportedly in the running for Alcantara as well as Edward Cabrera at this season’s deadline but were unwilling to move two of their top five prospects to land a frontline starter at the deadline. Lombard Jr. is the team’s top prospect and is not expected to arrive in the Bronx until 2027. Given shortstop Anthony Volpe’s struggles this season, the Yankees likely want to keep Lombard Jr. around to take over at shortstop when he is ready.
Jones was once one of the best two-way prospects but is now primarily playing outfield and is crushing at the minor league level this season. Jones has 29 home runs across two levels this year and is going to be pushing for a roster spot in spring training next season.
The Yankees likely didn’t want to sacrifice their future for a starter who has not pitched at the level he has in the past, as they look to keep their championship window open long term.
It turned out well for Miami, too. The Marlins are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including a three-game sweep of … the Yankees.
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