Cubs Need To Shift Trade Deadline Focus To Underrated Young Marlins Star

The Chicago Cubs are expected to make some real upgrades over the course of the next week ahead of the trade deadline.

They have been the center of rumors for months, and now with July 31 almost a week away, the clock is starting to tick on something coming together if the Cubs are going to make any kind of major move.

In desperate need of another starting pitcher, Chicago is currently a victim of what is a narrow market, and it's a question mark as to how many real upgrades are available in that area.

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It's tough to justify giving up elite prospects for guys who are rentals, so in an ideal world, the Cubs would acquire someone who has a little bit more control than some of the names who have been thrown out there.

For a long time, this was seen as former National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins. But as the deadline has gotten closer, it's a different Marlins pitcher who looks like the better target.

Rumors have started to swirl this week that Chicago has some interest in Miami's younger and -- at least this year -- more effective right-hander; Edward Cabrera.

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If the Cubs do in fact make a significant acquisition at the deadline, Cabrera should be the name they have circled and are willing to go all in to get.

For one, he has an extra season of team control compared to his teammate, still eligible for arbitration all the way through the 2028 campaign while making less than $2 million this year.

Alcantara, meanwhile, is making $17.3 million both this and next season with a club option for $21 million in 2027.

These figures would be reasonable if the 29-year-old had looked anywhere close to himself this season, but instead it's been the younger, more affordable and more controllable Cabrera who is carrying their staff.

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Cabrera has a 3.48 ERA and 1.239 WHIP with 92 strikeouts in his 88 innings over 17 starts, collecting a bWAR of 2.0.

Alcantara, on the other hand, has a 7.14 ERA with the lowest strikeout rate of his career and a bWAR of minus-1.8 in 19 starts.

While Cabrera would cost a premium prospect to land -- potentially requiring Owen Caissie to be dealt -- he also has a chance to be a key part of the rotation in Chicago for the better part of the next half decade.

If the Cubs are determined to acquire a major addition to the rotation, Cabrera is who they should be relentlessly pursuing with one week left to land him.

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