CHICAGO – The Cubs have been looking for a way to add an impact arm to their rotation this offseason. Zeroing in on hard-throwing righty Edward Cabrera of the Marlins was always an enticing possibility on the trade front, dating back to Chicago’s search for arms ahead of last summer’s Deadline.
On Wednesday, the Cubs and Marlins finalized a deal to send Cabrera to the North Siders, giving Chicago a promising talent under club control for the next three seasons. The Cubs are sending MLB Pipeline’s top Cubs prospect, outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 47 overall), plus infield prospects Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon. Caissie, who was the Cubs' top prospect, became No. 3 for the Marlins, and Hernandez, who was No. 11 for the Cubs, slotted in at No. 12.
Trade breakdown
Cubs get: RHP Edward Cabrera
Marlins get: OF Owen Caissie (CHC No. 1), INF Cristian Hernandez (CHC No. 11), INF Edgardo De Leon
Cabrera is coming off his best campaign to date in Miami, where he posted a 3.53 ERA with career bests in starts (26), innings (137 2/3) and strikeouts (150). The righty has endured an assortment of injury issues and scares – last summer was no exception – but his arsenal is electric and breakout potential is obvious.
As potential free-agent targets for the rotation have come off the board – notably, Dylan Cease (seven-year deal with the Blue Jays), Michael King (three-year deal with the Padres) and Tatsuya Imai (three-year deal with the Astros) – exploring trade alternatives was important for the Cubs in their hunt for starting help.
The North Siders’ rotation was thinned by injuries down the stretch last season, when the Cubs secured a National League Wild Card spot and reached the Division Series in October. Cabrera helps fortify the group for 2026, but is also under team control via arbitration through ‘28.
Thursday marks the deadline for teams to exchange proposed ‘26 salary figures with any unsigned arbitration-eligible players. The Cubs have starters Javier Assad and Justin Steele in their pool, and Cabrera would join them now after earning $1.95 million in ‘25 with the Marlins in his first year of eligibility.
Cabrera’s relative affordability when compared to the free-agent market could help the Cubs in their ongoing pursuit of an impact bat as well. Chicago has been linked to free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman throughout the winter and recent reports have also pointed to free-agent infielder Bo Bichette as a target.
The Cubs entered the offseason with the goal of adding two established arms to the rotation, but Shota Imanaga’s decision to stay put via a qualifying offer ($22.025 million) changed the landscape. Chicago re-signed veteran swing-man Colin Rea as well, but the need for another big arm remained.
As things stand, the Cubs’ rotation figures to include NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton, along with Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon and Imanaga. Steele is working his way back from a left elbow injury and might be available in the first half of the year. Rea offers depth, along with Assad, Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks. Top 100 prospect Jaxon Wiggins is also on the radar for this summer in Chicago.
Cabrera led with a 94.2 mph changeup last season (25.8% usage), followed by a curve (23.6%) and 96.8 mph sinker (20.6%). He also has a slider and four-seamer in his repertoire, and he made progress on the command front. The righty posted an 8.3% walk rate in ‘25, compared to an 11.7% showing in his MLB career.
During one brilliant stretch between May 4-Aug. 8 last season, Cabrera ranked third in the NL in ERA (2.22). In that span, he trailed only Paul Skenes (1.60 ERA) of the Pirates and Cristopher Sánchez (2.06 ERA) of the Phillies, who finished first and second, respectively, in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Cabrera did, however, have a handful of injury episodes sprinkled throughout his strong ‘25 performance. He dealt with posterior right elbow discomfort in July, but managed to avoid the injured list due to the timing of the All-Star break. He exited with a right elbow sprain on Aug. 30, but returned in late September, finishing with five shutout innings on Sept. 28 to eliminate the Mets from the postseason.
The 23-year-old Caissie – acquired from the Padres as part of the Yu Darvish trade prior to the ‘21 season – projected to be a part of the Cubs’ outfield mix in the upcoming season. The slugging prospect has posted impressive power numbers throughout his Minor League career, leading to his MLB debut last season (abbreviated due to a season-ending concussion).
Caissie was reported to be part of a potential trade to Miami before last season, when the Cubs were trying to land lefty Jesús Luzardo (later dealt to the Phillies). That deal broke down, but the Marlins kept their eye on the promising lefty bat. Miami also landed two young infielders in Hernandez, plus the 18-year-old De Leon, who has performed well in the Dominican Summer League.