Padres get clarity from Marlins on which arms are in play (and which are not)

In a winter that is already being rumored to feature more trades than usual, the Miami Marlins have made it clear that they are open for business.

The Padres, who will be attempting to rebuild their rotation after losing Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish, could naturally fit as a trade partner for the Marlins, who have plenty of arms available.

Padres learn who’s actually available after Marlins clarify their pitching stance

The Marlins are reportedly willing to listen on any of their arms outside of Eury Perez, who is untouchable. That includes Sandy Alcantara, the former Cy-Young winner, and Edward Cabrera, who has been drawing trade interest.

Alcantara has a 5.36 ERA since returning from Tommy John surgery, but did bounce back at the end of 2025, posting a 2.68 ERA in his last eight starts.

Cabrera, meanwhile, broke out in 2025, posting a 3.53 ERA in 26 starts, going 8-7 and being worth a career high 2.8 bWAR.

Both starters could make sense for San Diego, and neither would cost a fortune to acquire.

Alcantara has the higher ceiling of the two, but has not performed well since his injury. Still, it's hard to completely look past his dominant Cy-Young campaign in 2022, when he led baseball with six complete games. He was a modern day workhorse in a league when most pitchers, even the good ones, hardly pitch into the eighth inning.

Cabrera might be the better acquisition, however, He doesn't hold the name value that Alcantara has, but that could work in the Padres benefit, as it probably makes him cheaper to acquire. If his 2025 season was not a fluke, Cabrera could legitimately be a No. 3 or even No. 2 starter in the San Diego rotation.

Either starter would be an upgrade over the current back-end of the rotation, which currently features names like Kyle Hart and J.P. Sears.