Inside The Cubs

Cubs Expected To Show Interest In Trade For Marlins Starter

The Chicago Cubs could pursue this intriguing starting pitcher via trade this offseason.
Grant Young|
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Chicago CubsMiami MarlinsLos Angeles Dodgers

Now that the 2025 World Series (which will go down as one of the greatest such series in recent memory) is over and the Los Angeles Dodgers have repeated as champions, teams can now turn their attention toward improving their roster this winter in hopes of potentially toppling the Dodgers' dynasty in 2026.

At first glance, the Chicago Cubs seem like one of the National League's best hopes of beating the Dodgers. They have several young and hungry hitters on the roster in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch, solid defense, and a pitching staff that, if they stay healthy, should be able to compete with anyone.

Of course, re-signing star slugger Kyle Tucker would be a major benefit for Chicago (especially because that would mean he wouldn't join Los Angeles, who is currently considered a favorite to sign him). But even if Tucker doesn't return to Wrigley Field in 2026, the Cubs have plenty of options via free agency and through trades when trying to replace his production.

Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) in the dugout on September 8, 2025
Sep 8, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker (30) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While the Cubs weren't major players in free agency last winter, their trading for Tucker was one of the biggest (and most unexpected) moves. Perhaps they'll take a similar strategy this offseason of making waves in the trade market, where they don't need to break the bank, rather than giving a player a boatload of money in free agency.

Cubs Could Pursue Trade For Marlins Pitcher Edward Cabrera

One appealing trade partner for Chicago would be the Miami Marlins, as they're expected to shop essentially all of their top players this winter. And in a November 2 article, The Athletic Cubs writers Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma asserted that if the Marlins are going to make starting pitcher Edward Cabrera available in trade talks, the Cubs, "would almost certainly have interest."

Cabrera is a fascinating potential trade option for Chicago. The 27-year-old is coming off a 2025 campaign where he produced a respectable 3.57 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 137.2 innings pitched (26 starts). What's more, he won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season, providing three full seasons of team control.

If Tucker does leave, the Cubs will likely still need to replace his impact on offense. But acquiring a guy like Cabrera would be the missing puzzle piece for their pitching staff and potentially turn Chicago into true contenders to take down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League next season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Boxing, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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