3 Marlins questions following Edward Cabrera trade

[Louis Addeo-Weiss]

The case of Edward Cabrera was, for a while, one of unrealized talent. Cabrera epitomized the "if he could just put it all together" player archetype. He posted a 4.32 ERA through his first four big league seasons with an average of just 73.5 innings pitched, which set up last year's age-27 season to be one of the make-or-break variety.

Fortunately, for both Cabrera and the Marlins, the pieces began to fall into place. He shone in a career-high 26 starts and 137 ⅔ innings pitched, finishing with a 3.53 ERA. He was the most impactful arm in their rotation.

The Marlins capitalized on that breakout by consummating a trade on Wednesday with the Chicago Cubs to send the hard-throwing right-hander to the North Side.

The Marlins received a package of three players, headlined by outfielder Owen Caissie, who was arguably the Cubs' top prospect. Infielders Cristian Hernández and Edgardo De Leon rounded out the return.

What will trading Cabrera mean for the rest of the Marlins' offseason?

 

Which outfielder becomes expendable?

After cashing in such a valuable trade chip to acquire Caissie, the assumption is that the Marlins envision him being the long-term answer in one of the two corner outfield spots. With Stowers occupying the opposite corner and Jakob Marsee in between them, there's now a surplus of viable outfielders.

Heriberto Hernández, a minor league signing before last season, impressed with a 116 OPS+ across 294 plate appearances. Platooning with the aforementioned trio to various extents seems to be the plan. Fellow right-handed bat Esteury Ruiz was just acquired last week. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix described Ruiz as a "really helpful, complementary piece," but his inconsistent track record could leave him on the outside looking in should Caissie break camp with the club.

Then, there's the Griffin Conine of it all.

Sporting a modest .755 OPS in the majors and flashing plus defense at left and right in a limited 54-game sample, Conine presented a compelling case for regular playing time in 2026. Manager Clayton McCullough previously shared that the Marlins want to evaluate him at first base during spring training. But if that transition isn't a smooth one, where would the 28-year-old fit in moving forward?

Meanwhile, Victor Mesa Jr. has no clear path to playing time. Mesa was arguably the top outfielder in the Marlins farm system when Bendix arrived. Now, he's buried on the depth chart with only one minor league option remaining.

 

Will the team add a veteran starter?

The trading of Cabrera leaves a vacancy in the Marlins rotation. Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez and Ryan Weathers are certain to open the season with starting jobs (health permitting). Janson Junk made a compelling case to retain his spot, though his track record prior to 2025 was spotty, to say the least. We haven't seen an effective outing from Max Meyer since Memorial Day.

While the Marlins also have Braxton Garrett on the mend from elbow surgery and an underrated farm system, the free agent market presents them with potential Cabrera replacements. Nick Martinez, Chris Bassitt and Zac Gallen are among the unsigned options.

The Marlins, too, could replace Cabrera's mind-bending changeup with another if they were to add, say, Lucas Giolito. Shoveling a similar workload as Cabrera in his 145 innings pitched, Giolito finished with a 3.41 ERA across his 26 starts.

Lucas Giolito, Painted 83mph Changeup. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/bIeBE2wKDS

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 1, 2025

Should owner Bruce Sherman insist on fiscal conservatism, their second-ranked pitching prospect, Robby Snelling boasted a dazzling 2.51 ERA across 136 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. His arrival at the major league level need not be delayed any further if the Marlins believe his much-improved fastball quality can be sustained in 2026.

 

What happens with Connor Norby?

In 36 games to end 2024, Connor Norby hit .247/.315/.445/.760, with signs that this was just the beginning on a long tenure in Miami. The subsequent year was a frustrating one, as Norby dealt with oblique and quad strains, and a broken hamate bone. Even when he was healthy, Norby looked largely overmatched, posting a .689 OPS while also being unable to bolster the reputation regarding his defense at third base.

Last month, we opined that Norby's skillset would be best suited in the outfield, but the addition of Caissie complicates that. Do the Marlins give him another chance to get acclimated at third? A down year in 2026 would leave him with marginal value. The club could go in several different directions with the 25-year-old and they'd all be justifiable.

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[Shawn]

There’s no need to add another starter at this time. Gusto, snelling, mazur, and junk are plenty backup for injuries. I feel norby is primed for a bounce back year if he can stay healthy. 

[MRDHU75]

28 minutes ago, Shawn said:

There’s no need to add another starter at this time. Gusto, snelling, mazur, and junk are plenty backup for injuries. I feel norby is primed for a bounce back year if he can stay healthy. 

I agree with all of the above. Gotta give Norby a shot during the spring to see if he can manage.

I like all the options. I would definitely like to see Conine stick as a DH on the team. He, Ramirez, Hicks and Stowers can all rotate there. Also Hernandez if he makes the squad again

[1993 fan from start]

lost me when talking about  Victor Mesa Jr. .  After talking about  Griffin Conine .Ruiz  Heriberto Hernández,.  we done heard Griffin Conine could be a part time outfielder and 1b player .  Then you ask about norby  why? he still be at 3b when you bring up Mesa.   

you only brought up two  qustion to me .    my qustion would been . Who going to fill all the Inngs that  Cabrera  has left behind  ?  one or two pitchers

plus does this mean marlins draft more pitchinng this year?

[Guest]

My stepson is a Mets fan and he wanted to talk to me about baseball and I told him I don't want to discuss it until the season starts. Why? Because I'm a Marlins fan. While fans of most other teams can sit around and do the hot stove thing all winter talking about how their Front Office will improve the team through free agent signings and smart trades, Marlins fans like me are SCARED TO DEATH ABOUT THE NEXT STUPID MOVE THIS ORGANIZATION MIGHT MAKE.

For example, we left Troy Johnston UNPROTECTED but protected that miserable BUM Wagaman. The Rockies took Troy and now we just traded a rising ACE starter for a guy who is PRETTY MUCH ANOTHER TROY JOHNSTON. Unbelievable!

This is a franchise of MORONS.

 

 

[One Regend]

Lucas Giolito is alright, but is he worth blocking a Robby Snelling or Thomas White?

What we need is a solid corner infielder. We haven't had an solid 3B since 2019 Brian Anderson, and we haven't had a solid 1B since... yikes! Justin Bour from 2017!? Jeez...

I have no doubt that Owen Caissie is talented. He OPS'd over .900 twice in the past 3 years. He's a top prospect for a reason. What he brings to the table is not the concern I have. The problem is, trading for him didn't solve our corner infield problem, especially 3B. We legitimately do not have any answers at the hot corner. You can hotfix 1B by just moving Agustin Ramirez there (or Hernandez/Conine if you prefer Ramirez to DH), but there is no hotfix for 3B. Are we just waiting for Graham Pauley or Connor Norby to wake up and suddenly have a realization? Because that's what it's looking like to me.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

On 1/9/2026 at 10:05 AM, Shawn said:

There’s no need to add another starter at this time. Gusto, snelling, mazur, and junk are plenty backup for injuries. I feel norby is primed for a bounce back year if he can stay healthy. 

  I am with you on every point.