Cubs acquire pitcher Edward Cabrera, parting with top prospect Owen Caissie and two others in a significant trade with the Marlins.
It was reported earlier this afternoon that the Chicago Cubs were finalizing a deal with the Miami Marlins for pitcher Edward Cabrera.
The trade is now official, according to ESPN insider Jeff Passan.
Cabrera will officially be headed to the Windy City. The Cubs will have three years of team control, and Cabrera figures to be a key part of Chicago’s rotation moving forward. The 27-year-old is coming off a career year in which he finished with a 3.53 ERA across 137 ⅔ innings pitched.
In return, the Cubs will send top prospect Owen Caissie, No. 11 prospect Cristian Hernandez, and unranked prospect Edgardo De Leon to the Marlins in this trade.
Full Trade Details:
Cubs Receive: SP Edward Cabrera
Marlins Receive: OF Owen Caissie, INF Cristian Hernandez, 3B Edgardo De Leon
The big departure in this trade is obviously Caissie, who was expected to be the team’s starting right fielder in 2026. He was the Cubs’ top prospect and showed his potential throughout his Minor League career.
Caissie had a career slash line of .280/.384/.487 with 81 home runs, 301 RBI, and 35 stolen bases across 505 games at the Minor League level. In 2025, he hit .286 with 22 home runs, 28 doubles, and 55 RBI at Triple-A Iowa before getting called up to the Majors later in the year.
Although Caissie didn’t get many opportunities once he got called up, there were moments when he flashed his promise and potential at the plate. He had a 13.3% barrel rate, a 53.3% launch angle sweet-spot rate, and hit his first career home run on August 19 against the Brewers.
But to get a pitcher of Cabrera’s potential with three years of control, the Cubs needed to part ways with one of their top prospects. Unfortunately, that just happened to be Caissie, whom the Marlins have been eyeing for quite some time.
The other two prospects the Cubs sent away in this deal are fine losses.
Hernandez was the team’s No. 11 overall prospect and was one of the most hyped-up international prospects during the 2020-2021 offseason. However, he is still a few more years away from the Majors, and there are question marks about his limited power.
As for De Leon, this is more of an upside piece that the Marlins likely wanted included in the deal. He is only 18 years old and played 43 games in Rookie Ball last season. The third base hit .276 with five home runs, 15 RBI, and five stolen bases across those 43 contests.
The price was always going to be high for a pitcher like Cabrera. He is only 27 years old, and his best days as a pitcher are likely ahead. Cubs fans, though, should be fairly happy with the price that it cost the team.
There’s no doubt that getting rid of Caissie could turn out to be costly years from now. However, you are able to land a frontline starting pitcher that you desperately needed, while also keeping prospects like Moises Ballesteros, Jaxon Wiggins, and Jefferson Rojas in your system.
All in all, this was a nice move by Jed Hoyer, and it came at a fair price.