In their much-anticipated pursuit of another starting pitcher, the Chicago Cubs are finalizing a deal to acquire right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday, signaling what would be the organization’s biggest offseason move to date.
To get Cabrera, the Cubs are giving up outfielder Owen Caissie, a left-handed slugger who made his major-league debut last year, as well as two minor-league infielders, Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon.
Cabrera, who will turn 28 in April, is coming off a solid season (3.53 ERA in 26 starts) that saw him produce a walk rate below 10 percent (8.3 percent) for the first time in his career as well as flashes of dominance.
The Cubs have long believed that Cabrera is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Several contending clubs had been in the mix for Cabrera, whose medical file contains some red flags. He underwent an MRI on his right elbow in the middle of last season, but he avoided a stint on the injured list at the time.
By September, the Marlins placed Cabrera on the injured list with a sprained right elbow. He was activated in time to make two starts before the end of the season.
The Cubs and Marlins have held long-running discussions about players, trying to match up hitters and pitchers to address organizational deficiencies. Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation first reported the latest connection to Cabrera.
Before this trade, the Cubs viewed Caissie as part of their internal plans to replace All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker, the top free agent who remains unsigned in January.
The Marlins will also add two young prospects to their farm system. Hernandez, 22, received a $3 million bonus when he signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic. Primarily playing shortstop, he posted a .694 OPS in 115 games last year with High-A South Bend. De Leon, who will turn 19 next month, played in the Arizona Complex League last season.
The familiarity between the Cubs and Marlins likely helped push this deal forward. The two sides nearly executed a Jesús Luzardo trade last offseason, until the Cubs spiked the deal during the medical review of the left-handed pitcher, who was subsequently moved to the Philadelphia Phillies.
At last season’s trade deadline, the Cubs did not make a major deal for an established starting pitcher who would remain under club control for multiple seasons.
Cabrera, who originally signed with the Marlins out of the Dominican Republic, is currently eligible to become a free agent after the 2028 season.
Throughout this offseason, the Cubs expressed varying levels of interest in starting pitchers Dylan Cease, Michael King and Tatsuya Imai, only to watch those free agents sign with other playoff contenders.
As this deal crosses the finish line, Cabrera will move toward the front of a deep rotation that is projected to include some combination of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, Javier Assad and Justin Steele at different points of the 162-game marathon.
— The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Sahadev Sharma contributed to this report.
