A Cubs' trade for one of the biggest pitchers available could come as soon as today

Talk about a high-pressure week. The Chicago Cubs start with a three-game series at American Family Field against the Milwaukee Brewers, as the two teams tied for first in the NL Central do battle in a high-stakes showdown. At the same time, Jed Hoyer and the front office will be working the phone lines, looking to make a splash ahead of Thursday's trade deadline - with a number of areas they're reportedly looking to upgrade.

One of the biggest names in trade rumors of late is Miami Marlins' right-hander Edward Cabrera who, as fate would have it, is scheduled to make his next start on Monday night. Given how well he's pitched of late (not to mention the ever-present risk of injury), it feels awfully unlikely he'll toe the rubber for the Marlins' game against St. Louis.

Cabrera, 27, has three years of arbitration-eligibility remaining, meaning Miami (or a team that acquires him) controls him through the end of the 2028 campaign. His numbers on the season are solid, but hardly spectacular, but when you dial in on what he's done after a rough month of April, it becomes very clear why he's one of the most popular names out there.

Marlins could command a king's ranson in an Edward Cabrera trade

Since May 1, Cabrera owns a 2.47 ERA and 2.99 FIP across 13 starts (69 1/3 innings) and has become Miami's most coveted trade chip - far outpacing former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, who has looked like a shell of his former self since returning from Tommy John surgery.

Given his recent run, buoyed in large part by his cutting down on the free passes, which has been an issue to this point in his career, and his long-term team control, the asking price on Cabrera is no-doubt sky-high and you're talking about a major return going back in any deal.

After years of lambasting Hoyer for hoarding prospects, I suspect we're going to see an about-face from a large contingent of the fanbase in the coming days when the Cubs flip top-100 talent to address gaps on the big-league roster. A trade for Cabrera would surely fall into that category, especially when you consider what he would fetch dollars-wise on the open market after Seth Lugo, heading into his age-36 season, just got two years and $46 million (plus a vesting option) from the Royals.

All signs point to him being the first major domino to fall in what should be a very exciting few days, both for the Cubs and Major League Baseball. Here's to the chaos of trade deadline week.