Marlins Trade Edward Cabrera to Cubs for Pair of Top-Ranked Prospects
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The Miami Marlins have been working on a trade involving Edward Cabrera all offseason. The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs were the final two teams in the running for the right-hander. Earlier on Wednesday morning, it came out that the Cubs were progressing towards a deal with the Marlins.
As of Wednesday afternoon, that deal has become official. Cabrera has passed his medicals and will be sent to the Cubs, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The Return
The Marlins are receiving a massive haul for their young right-hander. The first player is someone they have been trying to acquire for a while now. The Cubs will send Miami their No. 1 prospect, Owen Caissie.
Caissie is an MLB-ready bat that just did not have a lot of room to play in Chicago. The left-handed swinger played 12 games in the big leagues last season. In that time, he slashed .192/.222/.346 with one home run and four RBI. In Triple-A, Caissie slugged 22 home runs, while slashing .286/.386/.551.
The downside of Caissie is his swing-and-miss potential. In 26 Major League at-bats, the 23-year-old struck out 11 times. Additionally, he finished the Triple-A season with 121 strikeouts in 370 at-bats. The Marlins will have to find a way to get Caissie to make more contact. But he has a very high ceiling and should provide a lot of pop at Loan Depot Park.
MLB.com's Christina De Nicola reported that Chicago's No. 11 prospect, Christian Hernandez, will be headed to the Marlins, as well.
Hernandez spent the season in High-A ball, but he should make his way to Double-A in 2026. The middle infielder slashed .252/.329/.365 with seven home runs and 53 RBI in 2025. The best part of his game is his speed, though. Hernandez stole 53 bases for the South Bend Cubs.
18-year-old Edgardo De Leon will be the third and final player on his way to Miami, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
De Leon has spent his first two pro seasons in rookie ball, but his potential is through the roof. In his professional career, the third baseman has slashed .276/.395/.465 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. Now, he has only played in rookie ball, but those numbers are hard to ignore. Miami is getting a player with tons of upside in De Leon.
Marlins Rotation Without Cabrera
Trading Cabrera puts a damper on the Marlins' starting rotation.
Heading into 2026, Miami will now rely on Sandy Alcantara to be its ace. He was going to be an ace anyway, but Cabrera would have taken some pressure off of him. Following Alcantara will be Max Meyer, Ryan Weathers and Eury Perez.
The fifth starter spot is now up for grabs with Cabrera gone. The Marlins will have to choose between Braxton Garrett, Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto and Adam Mazur.
Garrett is the most likely candidate out of those three, but things could change. However, it is important to keep in mind that both Gusto and Junk dealt with injuries late in the year, while Mazur was optioned to Triple-A.
