There is no doubt the Chicago Cubs are having a fantastic 2025 season thus far, but with one of (if not the best) offenses in Major League Baseball, they have aspirations of making a deep run in the postseason. Their grip on the National League Central has slipped a little bit with the emergence of the Milwaukee Brewers, so the Cubs will likely need to be buyers at MLB’s trade deadline in just a few weeks.
The Miami Marlins are a team with an abundance of starting pitchers that could be shipped, considering the Marlins are still a year or two from contending. Miami has former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, and Cal Quantrill all as options. In this trade proposal, it is Cabrera who gets shipped off to the north side of Chicago.
Chicago Fixes Desperate Pitching Need With Cabrera
The Chicago Cubs have been hit hard with starting pitching injuries this season. They returned Shota Imanaga from injury, which is a huge help, but after that, the rotation gets pretty thin, and that isn’t a good recipe for postseason success. A recent article by Bleacher Report agrees with the sentiment that A. Chicago should be buyers, and B. They need starting pitching. Chicago was linked to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller, but that deal may not get done due to the in-division aspect of it.
BR’s Kerry Miller does a great job of outlining why the Cubs desperately need another starter:
“For a team that’s leading the majors in run differential, can’t imagine there are many Cubs fans out there getting excited about the potential pitching matchups coming their way against the Phillies and Dodgers in October. Even if Matt Boyd stays healthy and even if Shota Imanaga continues to defy what is the biggest FIP (4.84) to ERA (2.78) differential among all big leaguers with at least 50 innings pitched, you’re still talking about some combination of Cade Horton, Colin Rea and Jameson Taillon in the other spots in the rotation, going up against fellow No. 3/4 starters the likes of Jesús Luzardo, Ranger Suárez, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani,” Miller wrote.
Cabrera Makes a Lot of Sense
It’s understandable why many teams are going to come calling for Alcantara due to his pedigree as a starter. But he’s still fresh off a serious injury, has struggled this season, and although pitching better lately, would be an expensive acquisition. As for Cabrera, though, he seems to be ascending as a starter, and a good one at that. In over 78 innings this season, Cabrera has a 3.33 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He’s in the midst of a career year after being a highly touted prospect for many seasons, and is finally putting it all together, which makes him a perfect fit for the Chicago Cubs. The only reason he may stay is if Alcantara is already dealt away, and the Miami Marlins want to keep Cabrera as their future ace. However, they could get a fruitful return for him and build on an already solid young core.
As MLB’s trade deadline looms closer, the Marlins and Cubs are two very intriguing teams that could make blockbuster deals.
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