Marlins Make Smart Move With Rising Star After WBC Breakout
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When Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix decided to move two of his pitchers over the winter, Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, he did so to teams that have some deep prospect pools.
Bendix first moved Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs for a package that included highly-touted prospect, Owen Caissie. After Weathers was traded to the New York Yankees, the return was for prospects receiving outfielder Brendan Jones, Dillon Lewis, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.
Second-year manager Clayton McCullough could end up seeing some of those younger players scratch his lineup at some point in 2026. Caissie is likely to break camp and be on the roster on Opening Day when Miami hosts the Colorado Rockies. He impressed for Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic this month.
After they were eliminated from the WBC by Team USA on Friday night, the 23-year-old is back with the Marlins, but is going to get some much-needed time off before being back in Miami's spring training lineup.
Owen Caissie To Get Some Time Off Following WBC
According to Christina De Nicole of MLB.com, Caissie is going to get an opportunity to get some rest for a couple of days, given the travel and how much he played for Team Canada in the WBC. That is not a surprising decision by McCullough.
Caissie played in five WBC games, slashing .412/.476/.765 with a home run and five RBIs. He hit a majestic two-run home run in Team Canada's first game in his first WBC at-bat. He helped Team Canada reach the quarterfinals before falling to Team USA.
Caissie was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2020 MLB Draft, but he ended up getting traded to the Cubs as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Yu Darvish to the Padres. Caissie thrived in the Cubs' minor league system and made his MLB debut last season for Chicago. He suffered a concussion, which ended his season in September.
This might end up being a player that the Cubs will regret trading. Cabrera solidifies their starting rotation, but Caissie is primed for a big season with Miami in 2026. He has nothing left to prove in the minors after doing everything he could with Chicago.
Last season, the Marlins got a big breakout season from Kyle Stowers in the outfield. He was a finalist for the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards, but fell short of winning either one of them. If Miami can come close to getting the WBC version of Caissie this season, then they will have a young cornerstone piece for the future.
