In what feels like the toughest blow of the season, Edward Cabrera is now dealing with an elbow strain- often the first warning sign of Tommy John surgery. Injuries are always unfortunate, but for Cabrera, this news stings even more. Just as he finally found consistency with his electric stuff, the story may be taking a turn none of us wanted.

Most Marlins fans already know Cabrera’s winding history, but it’s worth revisiting just how long and difficult this road has been.

Signed as an international free agent in 2015 at age 17, Cabrera has spent a full decade in the Marlins system, making him the organization’s current longest-tenured player. Having spent the first four years of his professional playing career playing for now-defunct minor league Marlins associates, his contract was selected from the then Class A-Advanced Jupiter for the first time in the 2019 offseason, but was optioned to then Double-A Jacksonville during spring training of 2020 and would proceed to float around different Marlins-affiliates during the minor league restructuring until finally getting his first shot at the bigs on August 25th, 2021 with a gutsy quality start against the Nationals- holding a young Juan Soto hitless. His fastball brushed 99, his changeup touched 94, and the raw stuff was undeniable. The command, however, was another story: only 41 of his 78 pitches landed in the strike zone, with little chase outside of it.

After a total of 7 games spanning over about a month- none of which matched the success of his first, he would get placed on the injured list for a finger blister.  

In his mid-season debut the following year, things looked promising as he would post two back-to-back quality starts with 6 innings pitched and, between both games, a total of 3 hits, 1 earned run, and 13 strikeouts. In his next start, he would be pulled after 3.2 innings  with 7 hits and 5 earned runs.

That pattern defined his early career: jaw-dropping velocity, devastating movement, but shaky command and too many walks. Add in recurring injuries- from blisters to arm issues- and Cabrera often struggled to string together consistent stretches. For every dominant start with double-digit strikeouts, there seemed to be a meltdown waiting around the corner. Marlins fans developed a cautious “fool me once” mentality.

But the front office never gave up. They saw what Cabrera could be if he ever put it all together and, in 2025, he finally did.

Yes, April was rough- 15 runs allowed in his first four starts. But something clicked. By early August, Cabrera had carved his ERA down from 7.23 to 3.08. His WHIP shrank, his command sharpened, and the flashes of greatness became the expectation. With Sandy Alcantara struggling, Cabrera looked like the staff ace-in-waiting. The numbers back it up: a 3.34 ERA, 3.68 FIP, and 106 Stuff+. He racked up 140 strikeouts in 128.2 innings, good for 15th in the National League. His 9.16 K/9 proved his swing-and-miss arsenal had finally matured. He notched two 10-strikeout games- one in 5.2 innings.

A big part of the leap was his evolving pitch mix. The four-seam, long his least effective offering, dropped from 27.2% usage in 2024 to just 12.9% in 2025. Meanwhile, his sinker and slider jumped 11.5% and 9.3% respectively, making hitters' heads spin. His changeup- absurdly fast at 7.6 mph above MLB average- baffled batters all year. His curveball, with 50.1 inches of vertical drop and a 44.8% whiff rate, ranked as the third-most effective in the NL in Baseball America’s league-wide survey. His slider wasn’t far behind, posting a 42.9% whiff rate- after never topping 39.9% on any pitch in prior seasons. Add in a sharper arm slot and a sinker that jumped to a 66.4% in-zone rate (up more than 20 points from 2024), and suddenly Cabrera looked like a different pitcher entirely.

After 10 years of grinding, four seasons of uneven MLB results, and countless setbacks, Cabrera’s 2025 finally gave fans what they had been waiting for: proof that he could not only dominate, but do so consistently.

No matter what comes next- whether this is just a temporary setback or the beginning of a long recovery- Cabrera’s breakthrough deserves celebration. God willing that he doesn't need surgery, but if he does, not every pitcher returns from Tommy John; estimates suggest 20–30% never fully bounce back. Regardless of how fate plays out, we were lucky to see Cabrera at his best in a year when the Marlins needed him most.

Thank you, Eddy. Get well soon.