The Chicago Cubs are starting to heat up during MLB’s hot stove season. With a strong need for a starting pitcher, ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that the Cubs are finalizing a trade for Miami Marlins‘ starter Edward Cabrera, and Owen Caissie is involved in the deal, according to Kevin Barral of Fish on First. Two other hitting prospects will be headed to Miami in the deal, but the Cubs will finally land their much-needed starter.
Chicago will welcome Justin Steele back into the rotation sometime next season, and Edward Cabrera will join Shota Imanaga and Cade Horton as the Cubs’ frontline starters. Chicago has already added Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton this offseason as well to help bolster the pitching staff.
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Edward Cabrera’s Trade Market and Production
The Edward Cabrera trade rumors are nothing new. They originated back in July due to Cabrera’s breakout season and impressive pitching arsenal.
He went 8-7 in 2025, and posted a 3.53 ERA over 137.2 innings and 150 strikeouts. The Marlins have a slight luxury in this position because of all the starter options they have (Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer), so they must have felt that dealing away Cabrera would put no dent in their pitching plans.
Edward Cabrera’s career stats are as follows: 431.2 innings pitched, 4.07 ERA, 478 strikeouts, 87 starts.
No doubt this is a huge splash for the Cubs, who have long needed a dominant right-handed starter. As impressive as Cade Horton was in his rookie year, adding Edward Cabrera adds another layer to the rotation and gives the Cubs a strong 1-2 righty punch.
However, Chicago fans will have to say goodbye to highly-touted prospect Owen Caissie.
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Owen Caissie’s New Role With Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a young MLB team, but they certainly have aspirations of being an NL East contender after finishing third in the division in 2025 and adding closer Pete Fairbanks in free agency.
Owen Caissie will likely get a lot of MLB at-bats while with the Marlins, and he becomes an immediate threat to become a key contributor for the Fish next season.
He will have to prove himself at the big league level first. In 26 at-bats (which were the first in his career), Caissie hit .192 with five hits and one home run. However, he has a long track record of tearing up the minors, which led to his call-up. It will be interesting to see if the Marlins even opt to use him in the minors or instead propel him into an everyday role for their 2026 squad.
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Cubs Trade for Marlins’ Edward Cabrera In Deal That Offloads Owen Caissie