It has been a seesaw start to the 2025 MLB season for the defending American League champion New York Yankees, one that has highlighted a need for better starting pitching. But FOX Sports MLB studio analyst Dontrelle Willis has a suggestion for the Yankees.
“The bottom line is they may have to go out and get somebody from Miami. I’m not going to say their names because I’m not a general manager, but you might have to go get the Sandman [Sandy Alcántara] down there,” Willis said on Wednesday night.
“It’s going to be a hefty price [to acquire Alcántara], but I think I need to see more depth from the Yankees’ pitching if they want to get back to represent the American League in the World Series.”
New York’s rotation has been ravaged by injuries of late. In March, it was revealed that ace Gerrit Cole needed season-ending Tommy John surgery; right-hander Luis Gil suffered a lat strain that’s expected to keep him out through May; veteran Marcus Stroman recently went on the injured list with knee inflammation; Clarke Schmidt made his first start of the season on Wednesday night after suffering a shoulder injury in spring training.
Outside of Max Fried, the Yankees have struggled to get quality outings from their starters, as they entered Thursday with a combined 4.96 rotation ERA, 28th in MLB.
- Max Fried 2025 stats: 1.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 24.0 innings (four starts)
- Will Warren 2025 stats: 5.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 14.0 innings (three starts)
- Carlos Rodon 2025 stats: 5.48 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 23.0 innings (four starts)
- Carlos Carrasco 2025 stats: 5.94 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 16.2 innings (three starts, four appearances)
- Marcus Stroman 2025 stats: 11.57 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings (three starts)
As for Alcántara, the hard-throwing right-hander has traditionally been one of the best starting pitchers in the sport. Since becoming a full-time MLB starter in 2019, he boasts a career 3.33 ERA and 130 ERA+, while pitching 12 complete games. Most notably, Alcántara won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award.
Alcántara’s career went off course with a rocky 2023 season that ended with him needing Tommy John surgery, which kept the righty off the hill in 2024. Across the three starts that he has made this season, Alcántara has recorded a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.
Alcántara, who turns 30 in September, is under team control through the 2027 MLB season, with a club option on the final year of his five-year, $56 million extension.
Following a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the Yankees are 11-7, good for first place in the AL East.
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