The Chicago Cubs are reportedly among the most interested teams in trading for rising Miami Marlins' starting pitcher Edward Cabrera at this year's trade deadline. The 27-year-old is in the midst of his best season in the majors and playoff teams are circling in the water, hoping to make a deal with the Marlins for Cabrera.
According to Francys Romero, the Marlins are seeking a big return for the right-handed starter. Cabrera currently has a 3.33 ERA in 2025, and has been excellent since the start of May. The righty has recorded a 2.11 ERA in his last 11 starts, striking out 60 batters in 59.2 innings.
Cabrera is under team control through the 2028 season. He has three more years left of arbitration eligibility. Romero specifically named the Cubs and New York Mets among the teams with the most interest.
For a moment it looked like the Cubs were going to make a play for Sandy Alcántara, the 2022 NL Cy Young winner. However, his decent stretch has come to a halt and Alcántara has reverted back to his struggles.
From June 3 through June 22, Alcántara made four starts and posted a 2.74 ERA in 23 innings. Yet, since then he's allowed 18 earned runs in his last three starts, a 9.53 ERA in 17 innings that's ballooned Alcántara's season ERA back up to 7.22 in 18 starts.
So, whatever trade package Cubs fans were thinking about for a good version of Alcántara is probably going to be the price for Cabrera instead. You're talking about a former top prospect, who dealt with an injury, took some time work through his struggles and is now tapping into his potential.
Despite making his debut back in 2021, Cabrera only has a total of 372.1 innings under his belt. Going back to last summer, Cabrera has a 3.79 ERA in 149.2 innings since returning from a shoulder injury.
We know that the Cubs and Marlins talked about Owen Caissie in trade discussions last offseason, so he's probably involved in talks now too for Cabrera. Caissie has been on a tear lately at Triple-A.
Caissie is 12-for-25 in his last six games with six home runs, two doubles, eight RBI, 13 runs scored, while adding five walks. Overall in 2025, the top Cubs prospect has a 140 wRC+ at Triple-A with a slash line of .279/.388/.569. The left-handed hitter has 18 home runs in 72 games.
Fascinating how the trade market can change so quickly. Cubs fans were focused in on Alcántara's season and just like that it's a different Marlins' pitcher who could be the top prize at the trade deadline.
