Why Edward Cabrera makes sense as the Cubs’ next trade target

Jasen Vinlove - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 1 hour ago

At some point, things will start to pick up in the MLB offseason. The Chicago Cubs and their fans hope they will be part of the fun. After it was reported that the Cubs were not only showing interest in Dylan Cease but were in on him up until the price tag hit 200 million, that at least shows this team is willing to spend more than in prior offseasons.

We have heard this tune before, and whether that report is completely accurate or not, it is worth mentioning, as the Cubs are at the very least holding true to their pursuit of another arm. Ideally, you would love for this team to add Michael King or Tatsuya Imai, but unless the Cubs are willing to go the years or spend the type of money these guys want, adding a free-agent Ace seems highly unlikely.

They could continue to monitor the trade market, and realistically, that could be the team's best option for now, as the Cubs know how valuable a front-of-the-rotation arm is. With Cade Horton entering his second season and Justin Steele returning from Tommy John, Chicago does have some options at the top of their rotation, but neither one of them seems to be the Ace the Cubs are looking for.

That is where Edward Cabrera comes into play, as the Miami Marlins right-hander was dangled around at the deadline last year and is expected to be dangled all winter. There have already been significant reports out there that the Cubs and Marlins have been talking trades, but all those talks revolve around their other stud pitcher, Sandy Alcantara.

Alcantara may have the highest ceiling of the two, but he only has one more year of control left, which makes Cabrera the better option to pursue at this point. Getting him will be the challenge, as the Cubs or anyone else, for that matter, would have to put an astronomical package together, and that is something this team just doesn't do.

If you had to pick between Alcantara and Cabrera, most Cubs fans would pick Alcantara, knowing he is the more proven guy. However, Cabrera has started to come into his own as a starter, and at 27 years old, he not only has a long baseball road ahead of him, but is entering his prime, so now is the perfect time to strike.

Armed with a 97 MPH heater, Cabrera has the stuff to be a front-of-the-rotation arm for years to come, and when you look at his performance over the past year-plus, you can see that. He mixes that fastball with an upper-80s breaking ball with late movement, but it's the 90 MPH changeup that sets him apart, as it is by far his best pitch.

Coming off a season in which he went 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA, there is a lot to like about Cabrera, as he is now 25-29 for his career with an ERA around 4.00. The 2022 and 2025 seasons were his best, but it was this past season when he started to show his true potential on the mound, striking out 150 batters to 48 walks in 137 innings pitched. He also added a ground-ball rate near 55%, as Cabrera not only can put hitters away via the punchout but also knows how to keep the ball on the ground.

That alone would play at Wrigley, given the overall wind conditions, which is what makes him such an interesting target for the Cubs. As good as he was most of the season, there is one lingering issue that needs to be sorted out, as he missed three weeks in September with a right elbow strain.

Anytime you hear the words elbow and strain, there are massive red flags, as that tends to be the beginning of an eventual Tommy John surgery. That alone could be why the Alcantara market is picking up steam, as teams are now being more cautious with Cabrera than they have been in the past. Despite the arm issue, the Marlins never shut him down as he returned to make two starts late in the season, with one of them being a scoreless outing against the Mets.

Expected to make 3.7 million this season, Cabrera is the definition of a bargain for a starting pitcher and one who could fill any spot in your rotation. With three additional years of control after this season, Cabrera is the perfect pitcher for the Cubs to target as they could build around him, Horton, and Steele for years to come.