The reality of the new year is starting to sink in for New York Mets fans, and with it comes the realization that the Mets probably won’t be signing any of the top starters on the free agent market. The longstanding rumor of a trade for Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal remains just that, and starters like Framber Valdez want too many years, so the fan base is starting to turn its attention to possible trades.
That means starter Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins, who’s next up to star in the rumor mill for at least the next week or so. Cabrera has top-of-the-rotation potential, but he also comes with some serious issues.
Specifically, we’re talking health and injuries. According to Tim Boyle of Rising Apple, the 27-year old Cabrera crossed the 100-innigngs threshold for the first time in his career in 2025, as he fell just shy of 140 in his 26 starts. It was also the first time Cabrera’s ERA dropped under 4.00 with a full workload, so there are questions about his ability to repeat the 3.53 ERA he posted this year.
Boyle then asked the same question everyone else associated with the Mets is asking about Cabrera: Is he really all that much better than what young starters Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong can give the Mets, even if Tong and maybe even Sproat needing to spend a good part of the season in Triple A?
The answer is “maybe not,” which makes him a “prove it” pitcher, and the Mets already have plenty of those. The Marlins asking price in a Cabrera trade will be high, so it’s unlikely that Miami will be willing to take starters like David Peterson, Clay Holmes, etc. off the Mets hands while giving up one of their most promising starters.
So why is this rumor currently making the rounds? Simple—the New York Yankees are involved and reportedly interested. Nearly every serious rumor involving one of the New York teams will generate rumors about the other one, provide the needs match up, and sometimes even that isn’t a requirement.
Mets GM David Stearns will do a pitching trade some time in the next two or three weeks, but it won’t be for a starter like Cabrera. Stearns will either be making a big trade for a top-of-the rotation stud, or he’ll be looking for a reliable mid-level or tail-end innings eater with some upside. Anything else would be a shock given his approach to the offseason so far, so the fan base needs to think accordingly.