Cubs-backed expert raises terrifying red flag about Edward Cabrera trade

The Chicago Cubs' acquisition of Edward Cabrera should be a boon for the top of the rotation, so long as the 27-year-old can keep up his breakout from last year — with the Miami Marlins, he posted a 3.53 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 9.81 K/9 and 3.14 BB/9 in a career-high 137 2/3 innings pitched.

Surrendering top prospect Owen Caissie (as well as high-upside players Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon) stings, but that's the price you have to pay for controllable starting pitchers with top-of-the-rotation upside.

Still, this deal isn't without its drawbacks, as Cabrera has a long injury history that has landed him on the injured list eight times since 2022. Perhaps the most terrifying of those ailments was the UCL sprain he suffered down the stretch with Miami in 2025, which could portend some long-term elbow issues for the hard-throwing right-hander.

Those concerns are so significant that even Lance Brozdowski of Marquee Sports Network had to sound the alarms: "I think if you gave [Edward Cabrera's] medicals to the 30 teams in baseball, I don't entirely know how many of them would have improved [the medical reports]."

Surely this won't come back to bite the Cubs, right?

Edward Cabrera's injury history presents massive pitfall for Cubs in blockbuster trade

Not that Cubs fans need to be reminded of this, but this front office also acquired an injury-prone starting pitcher at the trade deadline in the form of Michael Soroka. He lasted all of two innings before heading to the injured list with a shoulder strain, only to return as a low-impact bullpen piece in the final weeks of the season.

That's not to say the same thing will happen with Cabrera — he also returned at the end of last season, making two starts at the end of September — but the track record for Jed Hoyer and the medical team isn't flawless. Then again, the team was willing to nix their deal with the Marlins last winter over Jesus Luzardo's medicals, so odds are there's more optimism surrounding the young right-hander's immediate future.

Plus, as Bruce Levine of 670 The Score points out, the Cubs likely don't make this deal without some assurance from the medical staff that Cabrera is a strong bet to make it through he next three seasons without a major arm surgery. Even as he preached caution, Brozdowski affirmed that Chicago did their homework and "are very sharp on the medical side."

This is simply a looming cloud that'll hang over Cabrera as long as he's on the North Side. Hopefully, these concerns will prove precautious rather than prescient.