The Marlins landed a top prospect in Owen Caissie, injecting power and a high ceiling into their outfield with this key trade.
The Miami Marlins needed to get a big-time prospect to justify trading starter Edward Cabrera -- and Owen Caissie fits that description.
Caissie, who was the top prospect in the Chicago Cubs' farm system, was dealt to Miami on Wednesday, along with two other prospects in a deal that sent Cabrera, who was Miami's best starting pitcher last season, to Chicago.
Miami now has the No. 47 overall prospect in Caissie, per MLB.com, and he will be the No. 2 prospect in Miami's system.
Caissie, 23, hasn't done much in the majors yet, hitting .192 in 26 at-bats last season and then being hindered by a concussion suffered in September.
But that's hardly a big enough sample size to give up on a talented prospect, and the Marlins are happy to have him.
This is the second time Caissie has been part of a trade for an established starting pitcher, with the San Diego Padres -- who drafted him 45th overall in 2020 -- trading him as part of a package to acquire Yu Darvish from the Cubs in December of that year.
From there, Caissie made it to AAA by 21, where he slashed .278/.375/.472 with 19 homers as the second-youngest hitter in the international league.
MLB.com's profile of Caissie notes he "has had no difficulty producing against much older competition, creating huge raw power with the bat speed and loft in his left-handed swing and the still-growing strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3 frame.
"He could provide 30 or more homers per season, with his pop playing from left-center to the right-field line and against both lefties and righties. ... He's an aggressive hitter with a naturally long stroke, leading to a 29-percent strikeout rate in his first four pro seasons, yet he's also a career .278 hitter with a 14-percent walk rate."
So where will Caissie fit into Miami's outfield?
Well, the team has an All-Star still in his 20s playing left field in Kyle Stowers, and Jakob Marsee, who showed promise as a 24-year-old last season. The projected right fielder, Griffin Conine, only has 161 big-league at-bats, and his numbers have been pedestrian (.253/.314/.418).
In any case, there's no reason Caissie should be in the minors much longer, if at all.
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