A trade of Miami Marlins pitcher Edward Cabrera was hardly the most surprising swap in a busy baseball offseason. His new team might be.
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The Chicago Cubs acquired Cabrera, a right-handed starter, from the Marlins for outfielder Owen Caissie and two other prospects.
Today, we acquired OF Owen Caissie, INF Cristian Hernández, and INF Edgardo De Leon in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for RHP Edward Cabrera. pic.twitter.com/ydUuq2kkgp
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) January 7, 2026
Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first to report the two sides were close to making a deal Wednesday:
Cabrera, 27, went 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 26 starts last season for the Marlins. He’s 25-29 with a 4.07 ERA in his career, and presents some concerns around his durability.
Cabrera has never topped the 137.2 innings he threw in 2025. He missed time last season with an elbow sprain and a blister on his right middle finger. Cabrera also missed two months of the 2024 season, and one month in 2023, with a shoulder injury.
The Yankees were reported Monday to be in discussions with the Marlins to acquire Cabrera. It’s unclear how many other teams were involved in his pursuit.
On the surface, it looks as if the Cubs have swooped in one of the Yankees’ top trade targets as they look to upgrade a starting rotation that was a big separator between themselves and the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central division last year.
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