It's crunch time for players across the league to increase their trade value ahead of the July 31 deadline. And one MLB insider believes the player peaking the most at the moment has been linked to the Chicago Cubs.
Jon Morosi appeared on a segment of MLB Central on Wednesday and was asked by host Lauren Shehadi about which potential trade candidate has boosted his stock the most in recent weeks. Morosi believes Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera is worthy of holding that distinction.
"His ERA over the last six starts is about 2.50, and when you watch him work on the mound, you realize he has some of the best stuff of any pitcher in the game," Morosi said in the segment. "Other teams should not overlook him any longer – if, in fact, they ever have, because we've talked a lot about Sandy Alcantara – but Cabrera's value is very much on the rise."
Morosi likened any deal involving Cabrera to similar moves contending teams have made in recent years to secure aces ahead of the deadline, like the Toronto Blue Jays' acquisition of Jose Berríos in 2021 and the Seattle Mariners' decision to trade for Luis Castillo one year later.
"In the right situation, the right team, the right defense, the right environment, he becomes someone that could start Game 1 of a postseason series," Morosi said.
The Cubs and the New York Yankees were specifically mentioned by Morosi as teams that might be the most interested in trading for Cabrera. But it could come at a cost to either franchise, which likely would have to include a top prospect in the return package to Miami.
"There are multiple years of control, so [Marlins president of baseball operations] Peter Bendix is not in any sort of rush to move him," Morosi said. "But if you've got the right controllable young outfielder, perhaps in the minor leagues – whether it's Owen Caissie with the Cubs, maybe Spencer Jones with the Yankees – this is the kind of arm that you might be able to get if you build a package big enough."
Cabrera, a member of the Marlins' squad since his major-league debut in 2021, has pitched to a 4-4 record, 3.48 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 92 strikeouts to 30 walks in 88 innings across 17 starts.
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