Five-year deal with sixth-year club option is record-setting contract
for first-year arbitration eligible pitcher
MIAMI – The Miami Marlins today announced RHP Sandy Alcantara has signed a five-year contract extension with a sixth-year club option. Though contract details are not being released, the length and value is the largest ever for a first-year arbitration eligible pitcher in MLB history and is the longest contract tenured to a player under the current ownership group.
Alcantara, 26, went 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA in 33 starts in 2021 and became just the fifth pitcher in club history to record 200-plus innings and 200-plus strikeouts in the same season, setting a career-high with 205.2 IP and 201 strikeouts. He finished the 2021 season with an MLB-leading six games in which he worked 8.0 innings or more and allowed one run or less.
He became the first Marlins pitcher with 14-plus strikeouts in a game since Dan Straily (14 K ; 4/22/17 at SD) and first Marlins pitcher with 14-plus strikeouts at home since José Fernández (14 K; 9/9/16 vs. LAD) when he struck out 14 against the New York Mets on September 8.
An All-Star in 2019, the native of Azua, Dominican Republic has pitched in five Major League seasons, going 20-34 with a 3.49 ERA in 86 games (78 starts). Since 2019, Alcantara ranks T-3rd in MLB in shutouts (2), T-6th in complete games (3), 8th in innings pitched (445.0), T-16th in starts (72) and 22nd in opponents batting average (.231).
Alcantara made his second consecutive Opening Day start in 2021, becoming the third youngest Marlins pitcher (25 years and 206 days old) to make consecutive Opening Day starts behind Dontrelle Willis in 2007 (25 years and 80 days) and Josh Beckett in 2004 (24 years and 326 days). Alcantara was the ninth Marlins pitcher to make back-to-back Opening Day starts, joining Charlie Hough (1993-94), Kevin Brown (1996-97), Alex Fernández (1999-00), Ryan Dempster (2001-02), Josh Beckett (2003-05), Dontrelle Willis (2006-07), Josh Johnson (2010-12), and José Ureña (2018-19). Johnson and Beckett are the only two pitchers to start three consecutive Opening Days for Miami.
He is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two playoff starts with Miami, including a win at Wrigley Field in which he pitched 6.2 innings and allowed just three hits and one run in the 2020 Wild Card Series against the Cubs.
