Should the Blue Jays consider making a run at this former Cy Young winner?

Even though it's still just the middle of April, it's never too early to start looking toward the trade deadline.

The Blue Jays have hovered around .500 for the first three weeks of the season, and have stayed afloat in a incredibly competitive American League East. That hot start has provided some hope that the Blue Jays will still be in the postseason race by the time the trade deadline rolls around in July.

The biggest name who could be available at the trade deadline is Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. And, if the Blue Jays are in the postseason hunt by the time the trade deadline rolls around, they should do everything in their power to make a run at him.

Blue Jays should consider trading for Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara won the National League Cy Young in 2022, and is coming off a lost season due to Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old had a 2.28 ERA in an MLB-leading 228 2/3 innings in 2022, and had a 4.14 ERA in 184 2/3 innings in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery that October.

He's been okay so far this year in his first acton back, posting a 4.70 ERA and a 7.04 K/9 in 15 1/3 innings. His WHIP is solid at 1.17 and he's limited opponents to a batting average of .182.

That surgery (combined with him looking a bit pedestrian to start the season) could lead to Alcanatara coming with less of a prospect cost than other pitchers with his résumé, which could help the Blue Jays.

That said, he's under contract for 2026 (along with having a $21 million team option in 2027), so those years of control could end up bumping his price up.

While that $21 million option is a bit steep, it's a team option so the Blue Jays do have some control. Plus, signing Alcantara could help both the Blue Jays' present and future.

He should get better as the season goes on and he trusts himself more, but he'd already be a more reliable option than someone like Easton Lucas.

Although Lucas looked good in his first two starts, he still has less than 40 MLB innings under his belt. Reliability in the American League East division is needed to compete and Alcantara (who has logged 916 MLB innings in his career) can provide that.

If the Blue Jays trade for Alcantara, the Blue Jays could then bump Lucas to the bullpen, where he'd provide some much-needed left-handed depth.

The Blue Jays' high-leverage guys have been great, but the lower-leverage guys haven't.

While Max Scherzer and Alex Manoah will likely be back at some point this year, the Blue Jays need more pitching depth, and Alcantara is the best arm available on the market.

The main thing that complicates things a bit is the fact he's returning from Tommy John. While his fastball velocity is already back up to 97 miles per hour, teams will likely want to gather as much data on him ahead of a trade to make sure that he's all the way back.

If it wasn't for that surgery, it's fair to assume that Alcantara might be in another jersey already. The Marlins traded Luis Arraez last May a year after he won the batting title, so it's clear that they're not afraid to make a move if a team builds up a trade package they like.

The Blue Jays would turn into legit contenders if they signed Alcantara, even if his presence on the roster would result in a gutting of an already weak farm system.