Guardians Could Target Big Trade for Electrifying Strikeout Artist

The Cleveland Guardians are definitely in need of help with their starting rotation. Shane Bieber is still making his way back from Tommy John surgery, and now, Ben Lively is out for the remainder of the season as a result of having to undergo the same procedure.

Fortunately, the Guardians have some time between now and the July 31 MLB trade deadline to address the issue, and there should absolutely be some live arms available for the club.

One potentially intriguing target could be Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera, who appears to be coming into his own of late.

A former top prospect with electric stuff, Cabrera has struggled with control throughout his big-league career, averaging five walks per nine innings since entering the majors in 2021. However, the 27-year-old appears to be righting the ship this season.

Cabrera is logging 3.7 walks per nine innings in 2025, the lowest mark of his MLB tenure. As a matter of fact, he has not walked more than three batters in any one game this year, and he has issued just seven free passes over his last five starts. He owns a 2.00 ERA across those outings.

On the 2025 campaign overall, the fireballer — who averages 96.5 mph on his fastball — has gone 2-1 with a 4.14 ERA while allowing 46 hits and registering 48 strikeouts over 45.1 innings. He boasts a strikeout rate of 10 punchouts per nine frames throughout his major-league career, which makes him a rather attractive option at the deadline.

Given that Miami moved Jesus Luzardo during the offseason, it stands to reason that the Marlins may also look to jettison Cabrera, even if he is still under team control through 2028.

Should Miami make the Dominican native available (and let's face it: it's the Marlins), Cleveland should absolutely check in and try to make something happen. The Guardians certainly have the prospects to entice the Fish into completing a potential deal, so it only makes sense for Cleveland to place a call to South Beach in the coming weeks.

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