Marlins' Alcantara won't have innings limits in return from elbow surgery

It's full steam ahead for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.

The 2022 NL Cy Young winner said Saturday that no plans are in place for him to be on any innings limits this season as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

"There is people trying to talk a lot of shit on (social) media, on Twitter, and everywhere, but we don't need to think about it, and that's not true," Alcantara told Craig Mish of SportsGrid. "I don't say nothing (about innings restrictions), the organization don't say nothing (about it), and before they say something like that, they need to communicate it to me first."

Alcantara broke out in 2022 to earn the Cy Young unanimously with a masterful season on a 93-loss Marlins club. He led the majors in innings (228 2/3), complete games (six), and shutouts (one), along with a 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 207 strikeouts across 32 starts.

Though he again led the NL in complete games and shutouts in 2023, his ERA ballooned to 4.14 and his K/9 rate dipped by almost a full batter from the year before. Miami shut him down in late September and he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery a few weeks later, shortly after the Marlins were eliminated from the playoffs. The timing of the procedure meant Alcantara wasn't able to pitch at all in 2024, even on a rehab assignment.

Although it's a small sample size, Alcantara's been looking like his old self early in spring training. The 29-year-old hasn't allowed a run in 5 2/3 Grapefruit League innings, and he even touched triple digits on the radar gun.

Now that he seems to be back to his Cy Young-caliber self, questions about Alcantara's future in South Florida are growing louder. He's the last remaining star on the rebuilding Marlins, and his name's already been floated in some corners as a trade candidate for contenders with rotation holes.

The two-time All-Star is tuning out the trade chatter, though, and was adamant that it won't affect his pitching once the season begins.

"No, that's not gonna affect myself because I know the way that I prepare myself. I know the way that I compete. And, anything they want to say (about me) they can say it," he told Mish. "I'm here now, I feel happy to be here, I feel happy for the opportunity that (the Marlins are) giving to me, and I just need to be out there every fifth day and compete and give my 100% every time.

"Depending on what they wanna do with me, I'm fine with it. But before they do it, they need to talk to me first."