Red Sox rumors: Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara’s market heating up, Boston 'covets' Rays slugger, Alex Bregman scratched from series finale in Minnesota

The trade deadline is rapidly approaching on Thursday evening. Craig Breslow and the Red Sox have been quiet up to this point, not making a move to improve the 26-man roster.

Among the names the Red Sox have been connected to has been Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara.

“The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a strong No. 2 starter and have been closely monitoring Alcantara over the past few months, according to industry sources. Alcantara could be one of the names on the table,” according to Francys Romero of Bristol FR.

The asking price for Alcantara has reportedly been high despite his struggles on the mound this season. Miami has been looking for “two elite” prospects if they plan to part with the former Cy Young Award winner or even fellow righty Edward Cabrera.

"As recently as 10 days ago, when the Red Sox called to inquire about Alcantara's availability, the message they seemed to be saying, according to someone with knowledge of the talks, was: 'Don't move him without checking back with us,'" according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.

Alcantara went five scoreless frames in the Marlins’ 5-0 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday night. He went and shut down the organization that signed him as a teenager and then traded him in the winter of 2017 in a package of players for slugger Marcel Ozuna.

As the trade deadline approaches, Alcantara has been public about wanting to stay with the Marlins.

“Nothing on my mind right now,” Alcantara said on Tuesday night. “Everyone knows -- my teammates know, coaches, myself, my family know that I want to be here. But if something happens tonight, tomorrow, I don't know when it happens. Just got to control what I can control. Just be out there every fifth day here in Miami or somewhere else. I don't know.”

His return from Tommy John surgery has been a bumpy road this season, recording an abysmal 6.36 ERA, which is the second-highest among 80 Major League pitchers tossing at least 100 innings.

Alcantara meets the Red Sox's criteria for a reliable and controllable starter. The righty will turn 30 in September, is set to make $17.3 million in 2026, and has a $21 million club option for ‘27 ($2 million buyout).

Cabrera is also under team control for multiple seasons if Boston pivots off of Alcantara.

One team around the league has described the Red Sox as being in “stealth” mode with under 48 hours to go before the deadline expires.

RED SOX ‘COVET’ RAYS SLUGGER

Outside of adding a starter, the Red Sox could use another bat for their lineup and “covet” Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz. If the Sox were able to land him in a swap with their division rivals, they’d kill two birds with one stone, landing a right-handed hitter and first baseman.

The Rays haven’t signaled they’re in full sell mode. Tampa Bay did trade former Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen to the Brewers this week and acquired catcher Nick Fortes from the Marlins.

“I keep hearing they might be ‘soft-selling,’ whatever that means,” said one executive to McAdam this week. “I don’t know if they’re buying or selling, and I don’t know if they know either.”

Tampa Bay’s two deals this week give them a catcher with control beyond this season. Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander has been trying to focus on deals that can help them now while addressing their future.

“It's a tightrope act, right?” Neander said Tuesday afternoon. “You recognize your position, you try to do right by the organization in the big picture, but you also try to do right by the season at hand.”

The Rays have been sliding down the standings, sitting in fourth place in the AL East and three games out of the final wild-card spot. Other teams have taken notice and are calling the Rays about their players.

“That's the job. Any of the inbound interest, obviously, that's much more focused on players we have that can help other teams right now,” Neander said. “You have to take those calls, you have to consider their interest and understand the markets, and then you make determinations from there.”

For Boston, Diaz immediately becomes the Red Sox' everyday first baseman, and Alex Cora can move Romy Gonzalez all over the infield, including at second base, while Marcelo Mayer is on the injured list. The 33-year-old is batting .283 with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, and a .469 slugging percentage.

Cora would welcome additions to his roster but also doesn’t feel they’re as imperative as in seasons past.

"I think this year is a little bit different,” said Cora, “because our pitching staff is really good. The bullpen is solid so far, and we’re healthy. Last year, we were limping into the trade deadline, and we tried to make a few moves here and there (with Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia), but it wasn’t adding—it was kind of substituting for the guys (Chris Martin and Justin Slaten) that were banged up.

“This year, we’re at full force in the bullpen (though Aroldis Chapman is currently sidelined with back spasms). You saw it over the weekend, and you saw it for the past month and a half. It’s one of the best units in the big leagues (the Boston bullpen entered Monday with a 3.40 ERA, fourth-best in the MLB). If we continue, we’re going to be OK.”

The price tag for either Alcantara, Cabrera, or even Diaz will be incredibly high, but Boston could use the additional help as they look to make the postseason for the first time since 2021.

ALEX BREGMAN SCRATCHED

Alex Bregman was initially penciled into the starting lineup for the series finale against the Twins on Wednesday afternoon. However, a corrected lineup was sent out 27 minutes later with the All-Star third baseman sitting and Abraham Toro batting second and playing over at the hot corner.

Bregman wanted the extra day off and texted Cora on Wednesday that he could use another day.

“He was in there last night. I told him, ‘Let me know in the morning how you feel,’” Cora said. “He feels good with the quad, but a little bit tired. We told Toro there’s a chance he’d play third, and he’ll play third.

Bregman will now have two days off in a row before the Red Sox play a weekend series at home against the Astros.

“That was the thought process, but we gave him the chance to be honest with me in the morning,” Cora said. “He texted me in the morning like, ‘I can go, but I’m a little bit tired.’”

If Bregman had played on Wednesday, he would have appeared in six straight games. He’s been locked in at the plate, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with two doubles, two homers, and six RBIs since Friday.