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In their much-anticipated pursuit of another starting pitcher, the Chicago Cubs are finalizing a deal to acquire right-hander Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday, signaling what would be the organization’s biggest offseason move to date.
Cabrera, who will turn 28 in April, is coming off a solid season (3.53 ERA in 26 starts) that saw him produce a walk rate below 10 percent (8.3 percent) for the first time in his career as well as flashes of dominance.
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The Cubs have long believed that Cabrera is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Several contending clubs have been in the mix for Cabrera, whose medical file contains some red flags. He underwent an MRI on his right elbow in the middle of last season, but he avoided a stint on the injured list at the time.
By September, the Marlins placed Cabrera on the injured list with a sprained right elbow. He was activated in time to make two starts before the end of the season.
The Cubs and Marlins have held long-running discussions about players, trying to match up hitters and pitchers to address organizational deficiencies. Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation first reported the connection to Cabrera.
The two sides nearly executed a Jesús Luzardo trade last offseason, until the Cubs spiked the deal during the medical review of the left-handed pitcher, who was subsequently moved to the Philadelphia Phillies.
At last season’s trade deadline, the Cubs did not make a major deal for an established starting pitcher who would remain under club control for multiple seasons.
Cabrera, who originally signed with the Marlins out of the Dominican Republic, is currently eligible to become a free agent after the 2028 season.
Throughout this offseason, the Cubs expressed varying levels of interest in starting pitchers Dylan Cease, Michael King and Tatsuya Imai, only to watch those free agents sign with other playoff contenders.
If this deal crosses the finish line, Cabrera would move toward the front of a deep rotation that is projected to include some combination of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, Javier Assad and Justin Steele at different points of the 162-game marathon.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal contributed to this report.