The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins for prospects Owen Caissie, Cristian Hernandez, and Edgardo De Leon, the teams announced Wednesday.
The New York Yankees reportedly discussed a deal for Cabrera prior to the pitcher's move to the Cubs. However, the Yankees weren't close to landing the 27-year-old, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Chicago's projected rotation for 2026 now includes Cabrera, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon. Colin Rea and Javier Assad are also options to start, while 2023 All-Star Justin Steele is expected to be back at some point in the first half of the new campaign after undergoing elbow surgery in April.
Cabrera posted a 3.53 ERA with 1.23 WHIP and a career-high 150 strikeouts across 137 2/3 innings (26 starts) last season. He's arbitration-eligible through 2028 and projected to earn $3.7 million in 2026.
He finished in the 87th percentile for fastball velocity, 78th for whiff percentage, and 74th for chase percentage and strikeout percentage in 2025. Cabrera's four-seam fastball sat at an average of 97 mph to go along with a hard changeup that was over 94 mph and a sinker, slider, and curveball.
Caissie, who was the Cubs' top prospect, is ranked as the No. 47 prospect overall by MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old outfielder hit 22 homers with 55 RBIs and a .937 OPS over 99 games in Triple-A last year. He played 12 contests with the Cubs after making his MLB debut in August.
Hernandez was the No. 11 prospect in Chicago's minor-league system. The 22-year-old infielder went deep seven times with 52 stolen bases over 115 games in Single-A last year.
Lastly, the 18-year-old De Leon hit five homers with an .853 OPS across 43 rookie ball contests in 2025.
