MIAMI -- Sandy Alcantara will be among the Marlins pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training on Wednesday in Jupiter, Fla.
While the Marlins did deal right-hander Edward Cabrera and left-hander Ryan Weathers over the offseason, they did not move Alcantara. Instead, after a year’s worth of rumors, he is primed to make his franchise-leading sixth Opening Day start in his eighth big league season with Miami.
“Always, always glad,” Alcantara said on Friday afternoon during media day from loanDepot park. “I'm happy to stay in Miami. I know there were a lot of things in the media, but at the end of the day, I can't control those decisions. Just the thing that I can control is just be out there and play baseball for Miami.”
Asked whether president of baseball operations Peter Bendix or principal owner Bruce Sherman reached out to him over the offseason, Alcantara said no. He believes the organization is happy to hold on to its longest-tenured player and ace of the staff.
“At the end of the day, I'm here,” Alcantara said. “I'm still here, I love this city, and I want to keep playing here.”
Alcantara, who missed the entirety of the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, struggled for much of 2025. He posted a 5.36 ERA -- second highest among qualifying Major League starters -- but regained his form over his final eight starts (2.68 ERA).
The 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner would acknowledge his frustration after tough starts. It was jarring to see the confident Alcantara look that dejected. Looking back, he saw it more as a mental rather than a physical test.
“Coming back from TJ, you're not going to do great since the first day,” he said. “You’ve got to be step by step. Mentally, I was thinking too much, people talking negative about myself. They don't know that I was the best pitcher in 2022, but yeah, that's the past. I know it, and I’ve just got to be able to be healthy this year, showing the people in Spring Training that I can do great and just got to keep believing, and those opportunities that this organization can give to me.”
Entering 2026, Alcantara has simple enough goals: Stay healthy, finish strong, go deep into games and win a lot of them.
It’s obvious he is in a different headspace from a year ago.
“A lot of confidence,” he said. “I think more confident than last year, but I always still believe in myself. I always say that in the media, because God's the only one who can judge you, He's the only one who gives it to you. He's the one who takes it from you. I’ve got to feel blessed every day to step out of my bed, open my eyes and come here and play baseball.”