Instant Grade: Cubs Trade for Marlins' Braxton Garrett, But Will He Help This Season?

Less than 24 hours after the Chicago Cubs acquired Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays, the organization has added another arm.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Monday that Braxton Garrett of the Miami Marlins is headed to the Cubs. Front office leader Jed Hoyer will send prospects Jonathan Long and Jace Beck to Miami in the deal, per Ken Rosenthal.

Garrett has only appeared in two Major League games this season, allowing 7 earned runs and walking eight batters in those rough 4.1 innings. However, it's worth noting that the 28-year-old is coming off Tommy John Surgery, which forced him to miss the entirety of the 2025 campaign.

Cubs Buying Low on Braxton Garrett?

May 19, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Braxton Garrett (20) delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Marlins first called Braxton Garrett up to the bigs in 2020. He has since gone on to start 65 games for the franchise, which included starting a career-high 30 games during the 2023 season. He went 9-7 that year with a 3.66 ERA and a ground ball rate that sat in the league's 90th percentile.

With that in mind, it's not particularly difficult to see why the Cubs were drawn to him. Garrett has been very good at keeping balls in the dirt throughout his career, using a vast mixture of pitches. While he typically leans on his low-90s sinker, Garrett also has a low-80s sweeper and has flashed an impressive slider.

Like with David Peterson, the Cubs presumably like the idea of putting Garrett in front of their elite infield defense. They have also always leaned toward pitchers who pound the strike zone and offer trustworthy command. Garrett has always held a shockingly low walk rate. In fact, it sat at just 2.5 percent during his seven starts in 2024.

Garrett has also been fantastic in Triple-A this season, where he has spent the majority of his time. In his 16 appearances – 15 of which have been starts – Garrett holds a 2.90 ERA with a WHIP of 0.98. With that said, his last two starts have left a lot to be desired with 13 earned runs given up.

To be frank, considering how up and down Garrett has been as of late, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from him in 2026. This feels like potentially more of a long-term play for Jed Hoyer, as opposed to someone who will be asked to carry a big workload from the jump. Garrett is under team control for several more seasons, so perhaps the hope is to test him out more as a starter in 2027.

Indeed, it's hard to envision the Cubs throwing Garrett into such a high-stakes position once he arrives in Chicago. The plan could be to test him out of the bullpen, but this also isn't a role he's played at all during his MLB career. The best bet is probably that he remains in Triple-A ball unless an injury arises. And, hey, you never know on this Cubs squad!

At the end of the day, this is why the return feels a bit steep. Jonathan Long is the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, while Jace Beck checks in at No. 28. The former has been pretty darn effective during his time in the minors and has a very solid .819 OPS this year with 12 homers.

With two outfield spots potentially opening next season, there is a world where keeping Long could have made some sense. At the same time, as someone who is also used to suiting up at third and first base, those spots obviously weren't opening up any time soon. As for Beck, the Cubs may be selling high on the oversized righty. He is having his best season yet with a 3.62 ERA in Triple-A and is already 26 years old.

Instant Grade: B-

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