MLB Trade Idea Eyes Marlins’ Edward Cabrera for Chicago Cubs originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Ever since the injury to Justin Steele in April, starting pitching has been an area the Chicago Cubs could look to improve on at the trade deadline. Although Chicago received good news on Shota Imanaga, and the possibility of a return soon, depth at starting pitching never hurts.
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ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (h/t Bleacher Nation) threw out a new name for the Cubs to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches: Miami Marlins’ Edward Cabrera.
Cabrera made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2021 and is now in his fifth season with the team. The right-handed flame-thrower doesn’t have thrilling numbers over his career, averaging a 4.28 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, and 103 ERA+.
Aug 4, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (27) pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park.Mady Mertens-USA TODAY Sports
However, Cabrera has a nasty arsenal that the Cubs could use to take him to the next level.
According to Baseball Savant, the Marlins’ starter throws a sinker, slider, curveball, changeup, and four-seam fastball. The changeup, curveball, and sinker are used pretty evenly, with the fastball and slider sprinkled in.
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Cabrera’s sinker and fastball average over 96 mph and top out at nearly 100 mph. His changeup dips to about 93 mph, and the slider is at about 88 mph. Cabrera’s curveball averages about 83 mph, giving him up 17 mph of difference from his heater.
The sign for improvement in Cabrera is his walk ratio. Over the last two years, he’s dropped his walks per nine innings from six to 3.9, while keeping his strikeouts pretty consistent.
Cabrera wouldn’t be the ace pitcher the Cubs may be looking for to head the rotation alongside Imanaga, but he could be a valuable piece to continue to build on for the future.
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The Marlins starter is only 27 years old and under team control via arbitration through 2028. The Cubs are a young, exciting team that will be in the mix in the near future.
Chicago has relied on the likes of Colin Rea, Cade Horton, and Ben Brown to get through the stretch with Imanaga out. The three have done enough to get the Cubs by, but can you rely on them for the foreseeable future?
Cabrera would give the Cubs another young arm to work with, and could be a future potential superstar with his pitching arsenal.
Related: Cubs’ Jed Hoyer Named Among MLB Execs Under Most Pressure
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.