A burgeoning young starting pitcher could be on the verge of changing National League homes.
The Miami Marlins are reportedly nearing a trade to send Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs, as first reported Wednesday by Bleacher Nation’s Michael Cerami. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand confirmed the deal, which is not yet finalized.
The Boston Red Sox emerged as a possible trade fit for Cabrera last summer, but the Marlins held him through the trade deadline amid a breakout year. The right-hander harnessed his immense upside to register a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 137 2/3 innings.
Cabrera continued to throw gas, averaging 97 mph on his fastball with a unique 94.2-mph changeup that yielded a .266 opposing slugging percentage. But his biggest development came from a personal-best 8.3 walk percentage, far below his career 11.7 clip.
The Red Sox addressed their rotation needs elsewhere, acquiring veteran Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals and another electric hurler in Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates. That mostly removed them from the Cabrera rumor mill, but a rival was reportedly in the mix.
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Rosenthal and Chris Kirschner reported Sunday that the New York Yankees were talking to the Marlins about trading for Cabrera. However, Jon Heyman of the New York Post said Wednesday that the Bronx Bombers were “never close” to acquiring the 27-year-old.
Cabrera would give a jolt to a Cubs rotation featuring Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton and the returning Justin Steele.
Featured image via John Jones-Imagn Images
