Ex-Cardinals Cy Young Hurler Reportedly Won't Be Traded, Ending Reunion Hopes

St. Louis will have to look elsewhere for pitching this upcoming offseason

Apr 16, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals scoreboard as a plane passes by during the seventh inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are focused on staying alive in the hypercompetitive National League Wild Card race as we inch closer to the inevitable offseason.

Despite retooling the rotation last winter, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have club options for 2025. Depending on how the rest of this season goes, the Cardinals could decide to move on from the aging veterans.

That said, it's not too early to start looking for potential ways the Cardinals can boost their rotation this winter. Unfortunately, a former St. Louis hurler can be ruled out as an option.

"The (Miami) Marlins have informed 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara he will not be traded this offseason, per sources," SportsGrid's Craig Mish reported Wednesday. "As his injury rehab continues to go smoothly, the full expectation is Alcantara will be Miami’s Opening Day starter in 2025."

Alcantara was recently mentioned as a logical trade target for the Cardinals to pursue this offseason but it seems that Miami wants to hold onto the front-end starter -- despite going through a rebuild.

The Cardinals missed their chance to have a young and controllable ace when they traded him to the Marlins in a multi-player deal for two-time Silver Slugger Marcell Ozuna after his rookie season.

The 28-year-old wasn't given much of a shot in St. Louis, as he was dealt after his rookie season. Alcantara was a reliever with the Cardinals and immediately became a reliable starting pitcher in his first year with the Marlins.

It's clear that Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak dropped the ball on trading Alcantara. Who knows? Perhaps this offseason could bring changes to the front office as well.

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