As the trade deadline nears, those close to Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara are making it known he is bracing for himself to be traded in the next week.

If this were 2021 or 2022 and the Cubs were in the place they are now, of course Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcántara would be one of their top pitching targets. But it’s not. It’s 2025, Alcántara missed an entire season after Tommy John surgery and his results since his return this year have been... well, let’s be charitable and say “uneven.”

Left-handed starting pitcher Kris Bubic has a limited track record of success, but he's been elite in 2025. Bubic has a 2.38 ERA, ranking sixth in MLB and fourth in the American League among starting pitchers. Out of his 19 starts in 2025, Bubic has only allowed more than three earned runs twice.