ORLANDO, Fla. -- A familiar trade partner may be emerging for the Orioles in their pursuit of upgrades for their starting rotation.
Baltimore was linked to Miami by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Monday night, with the O’s reportedly having conversations with the Marlins about right-hander Edward Cabrera. However, there was no imminent trade involving the Orioles at the time, according to a source.
If a deal gets worked out, however, it wouldn’t be the first time the Orioles went to the Marlins for rotation help. At the 2024 Trade Deadline, Baltimore acquired left-hander Trevor Rogers in exchange for outfielder Kyle Stowers and infielder Connor Norby. The move worked out well for both sides, with Stowers becoming an All-Star and Rogers having a standout 2025 season.
Cabrera, 27, has spent his entire five-year MLB career in Miami. The Dominican righty is coming off his best season, as he recorded a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 137 2/3 innings over 26 starts. He has a 4.07 ERA in 89 career games (87 starts).
Sources told MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola this week during the Winter Meetings that teams that inquired about Cabrera leading up to the 2025 Trade Deadline have been doing the same in Orlando. Fellow Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara has also been a name frequently in trade rumors over the past year.
Cabrera could be a good fit in Baltimore, where he’d likely slot in as the No. 3 starter behind right-hander Kyle Bradish and Rogers. Other internal options in the Orioles’ rotation mix include righties Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Brandon Young and lefty Cade Povich.
The O’s are acting aggressively this offseason as they look to quickly bounce back from their 75-87 showing that resulted in a last-place finish in the American League East this past season. They have been in the mix for many of the marquee free agents on the market.
Baltimore’s biggest need entering the offseason was rotation help, but it has yet to address that area of its roster. In fact, the O’s have lost starting depth after trading right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for outfielder Taylor Ward and non-tendering Albert Suárez.
A trade for Cabrera -- who is under club control for three more seasons -- is unlikely to prevent the Orioles from trying to land a top free-agent starter. President of baseball operations Mike Elias has repeatedly expressed his willingness to expand payroll, comments that have been backed up by reported offers to players such as Kyle Schwarber.
Throughout the week, the O’s have been linked to free-agent starters such as Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Michael King. MLB Network’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Orioles met with Valdez at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last month.
Another potential trade target for Baltimore is Washington left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who has been featured in rumors and reports. According to Morosi, the O’s and Nationals have had “steady communication” about the southpaw.
Elias hasn’t publicly committed to acquiring multiple starting pitchers this offseason, but he has said it’s a possibility and it would clearly make sense for Baltimore to do so. The Orioles’ 2025 season was marred by injuries, and they need to create better depth while also upgrading the top of their staff.
It’s quite possible the O’s rotation landscape won’t look much different when the team’s executives leave Orlando and fly back to Baltimore on Wednesday evening. But with discussions continuing to happen, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Orioles have at least one new starter in the fold at some point soon.