Cubs Sending Owen Caissie, Two Other Position Player Prospects to Miami for Edward Cabrera

Trading for a starting pitcher with elite stuff and three years of cheap control is going to hurt, and that is certainly the case for the Cubs in acquiring Edward Cabrera. Owen Caissie, the team’s top-ranked prospect, is headlining the return, along with infielders Christian Hernandez (11) and Edgardo De Leon (NR). The Cubs have approved of Cabrera’s medicals, which was not the case with Jesus Luzardo last year, so the deal has been finalized.

Jeff Passan was first to confirm Caissie’s inclusion, though roughly eleventy thousand others had speculated it. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com had Hernandez in the deal and SportsGrid’s Craig Mish was on De Leon.

This is a huge swing for Jed Hoyer, and not just because of how the prospect cost harms the Cubs’ ability to compete in 2032. Cabrera has a spotty injury history and has only made pitched more than 20 starts and 100 innings once in parts of five seasons, but this past campaign was his healthiest. He has some of the best pure stuff in the game, with a 97 mph fastball/sinker combo, a 94 mph changeup that moves like something much slower, a big curve, and a nasty slider.

Cabrera’s fastball’s are actually his worst pitchers from a value perspective, which is something the Cubs could look to adjust. If he’s able to get those pitches to a better state, he’s the ace of the staff. Yes, even if Cade Horton keeps doing Cade Horton things. And given how much lighter the return was, Cabrera doesn’t have to be Cy Young.

Hernandez was a very hyped IFA signing, but he’s still at High-A at age 22 and has three other guys ahead of him on the prospect list at similar positions. De Leon is an 18-year-old who has played in the Dominican and the Arizona Complex League, so he’s still years away from the bigs at this point. Caissie is obviously the big one here, but the Cubs knew they’d have to give in order to get.

We’ll have a lot more to come on this, so stay tuned.