Along with Sandy Alcantara, fellow flame-throwing righty Edward Cabrera is the hottest name on the trade block for the Miami Marlins. Cabrera has put up the best and most consistent season of his major league career thus far. With a cost-effective salary, high upside and three-plus years of club control remaining, Miami would only move him at this week’s trade deadline if a nice prospect package is involved.

The current asking price for Cabrera is understandably steep. Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball reports that the Chicago Cubs prefer him over any of the other controllable starters on the trade market, but the Marlins are insisting that both Owen Caissie and Jaxon Wiggins be in the deal, and the Cubs aren’t comfortable with that. “The two teams are in a staring contest, each hoping the other blinks first,” Trueblood writes.

A slight adjustment may be needed to satisfy both sides. Here’s a five-player mock trade idea that gives the Marlins a balance of surefire big league production and upside, while positioning the Cubs to be true championship contenders in 2025. 

 

Cubs receive: Edward Cabrera and Anthony Bender

Marlins receive: 2B Jefferson Rojas, RHP Jaxon Wiggins and RHP Nick Dean

Part of Cabrera’s appeal to the Cubs is the belief that “his stuff would play even better in front of their strong defensive group,” according to Trueblood. That should apply to Anthony Bender as well. Although Bender is posting the lowest strikeout rate of his career (19.9 K%), the sinkerballer has continued inducing lots of ground balls that Gold Glovers like Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner should consistently convert into outs.

Bender has gone 14 straight relief appearances without allowing a run. He is under club control through 2027 via arbitration.

 

Instead of Caissie, Jefferson Rojas is the headliner of this trade package going back to the Marlins. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline rate him as a Top 100 MLB prospect.

The 20-year-old second baseman has already reached Double-A. In High-A in 2025, Rojas slashed .278/.379/.492 with a 138 wRC+ and .402 wOBA, posting great numbers while being one of the youngest players at that level. His bat has cooled off in a nine-game sample since being promoted (.189/.279/.270 with a 67 wRC+ and .271 wOBA).

Rojas projects to stay at second base and doesn’t have many tools besides his bat, but the combination of pop and approach make him a future everyday player at the major league level.

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Jaxon Wiggins is a 2023 second-rounder. The 6’6″, hard-throwing righty has a 2.02 ERA with a 2.58 FIP this season. His K-rate has actually increased since a midseason promotion to AA, from 29.5% to 33.3%.

Wiggins is best known for his elite fastball and electric slider. Poor control held Wiggins back last season. There is also elevated injury risk—he underwent Tommy John surgery in college and has been limited to only two innings since June 20. However, he has the stuff to be a top-end rotation piece if he can handle the zone.

The final piece of this deal is right-handed-pitcher Nick Dean. The 24-year-old was drafted in 2023 in the 19th round out of Maryland.

Dean’s numbers on the surface do not impress—5.13 ERA between A+ and AA this season—but under the hood, his outlook is much brighter with a 2.90 FIP and 21.7 K-BB%. Dean generates soft contact and gets balls on the ground. His fastball only sits low 90s, but he has a plus sweeper and solid changeup.

Dean may never amount to much in the big leagues, but there is a chance the righty can be the fifth option in a rotation or at least a spot starter.