Giants, Yankees, Mets, Cubs interested in Edward Cabrera

12:54 pm: The Yankees are discussing the possibility of a trade for the right-hander Edward Cabrera with the Marlins, according to a report from Chris Kirschner and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The report also adds that the Yankees remain involved in the Brewers right-handed market Freddy Peralta after their involvement was first reported at the Winter Meetings last month. In the meantime, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Mets and Cubs have also expressed interest in Cabrera.

Cabrera, 27, is an exciting young arm with significant upside. The righty had a breakout season with Miami last year, pitching to a 3.53 ERA with a 3.83 FIP in 137 innings of work across 26 starts. That’s already decent mid-rotation production, but what makes Cabrera a particularly attractive trade candidate is the possibility that he will take a step forward in the future. The youngster averaged a career-best 97.0 mph on his fastball this past season despite throwing a career-high in terms of innings pitched, and combined a strong 25.8% strikeout rate with a career 8.3% walk rate.

With a solid career groundball rate of 47.9%, in addition to those strong strikeout and walk numbers, it’s not hard to imagine Cabrera building on his 2025 season and emerging as a dominant starter. The righty is also under control until the end of the 2028 season, meaning an acquiring club would have plenty of time to work with him before he hits free agency.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t cause for concern. 2025 marked the first year Cabrera surpassed the 100-inning threshold at the big league level due to a series of injuries. Chief among these were shoulder issues that limited him in both 2023 and ’24, but even last season Cabrera made two trips to the injured list. His second trip to the plank, which took place in September, was sidelined due to a right elbow sprain. Elbow injuries are always a concern for pitchers, as UCL injuries wipe out at least a year of a pitcher’s career if they require surgery. However, it’s worth noting that Cabrera still struck out 26.3% of his opponents over his final two starts of the season after returning from the shelf.

For their part, the Yankees are looking for at least one starter to expand their rotation with both players Gerrit Kool And Carlos Rodon ready to start the season on the injured list, while Clarke Schmidt figures that will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 campaign. Max Fried, Luis Gil, Cam SchlittlerAnd Will Warren at this point they are all part of the opening day rotation, but more injuries could occur and it makes sense for the Yankees to add another starter to the mix ahead of depth options like Paul Blackbrand And Ryan Yarbrough.

Cabrera could be an especially attractive addition for New York, as MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to make just $3.7 million in arbitration this year. While the Yankees certainly have the budget to afford someone more expensive, their primary focus appears to be on retention Cody Bellinger at this point and it’s unclear if the team is up for a second nine-figure deal on top of the one Bellinger is reportedly seeking. That would be bids from players like Ranger Suarez And Framber Valdez unrealistic, and Cabrera expects to be better than most other starters in free agency at this point.

That affordability also appears to be attractive to the Cubs, who have long been known to be looking for a player to add to their rotation this winter. The club seemed to come second in the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes behind the Astros earlier this week, so it’s possible that missing Imai could prompt the team to more aggressively pursue Cabrera or another starting pitcher.

Cabrera’s affordable salary would be particularly attractive to the Cubs given their reported interest in the infield market. They are connected to each of them Kazuma Okamoto, Alex Bregman, Eugene SuarezAnd Bo Bichette at some level during the offseason, and while Okamoto is off the market, the other three remain available. Doing a deal for Cabrera could allow the Cubs to sign one of those big bats without going over the luxury tax, something they have been reluctant to do in recent years, and signing an infielder could soften the blow to the team’s offense that a trade for Cabrera could cause.

As for the Mets, the team has also made adding to the front of their rotation a stated priority, but so far they have focused on reworking their position player mix and bullpen. Pete Alonso And Edwin Diaz both walked in free agency while Jorge Polanco, Devin WilliamsAnd Lucas Weaver have signed to compensate these losses. In the meantime they have left Brandon Nimmo And Jeff McNeil during delivery Marcus Semien enter the fold via the trading market.

All that maneuvering has left the starting rotation virtually untouched, and the Mets have made it clear they’re willing to trade from their collection of young talent in the field (including Ronny Mauricio, Mark WindAnd Luisangel Acuna) this winter as they look to improve the rest of their roster. They also have a lot of young pitching of their own, which could be attractive to the Marlins as a way to keep their deep rotation well stocked with talent even after dealing Cabrera.