Almost as quickly as the Chicago Cubs signed Génesis Cabrera after he was released by the New York Mets earlier this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates acted accordingly when the Cubs released Cabrera earlier this week. Cabrera was designated for assignment after a rough outing last Friday at Wrigley Field, and it seemed clear that he wouldn't be back with the organization after clearing waivers.
On Thursday, the Pirates announced they signed Cabrera to a Major League deal. In 9 appearances with the Cubs, Cabrera posted an 8.68 ERA. Cabrera had a rough go of things during his final two appearances with the Cubs. In outings against the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, Cabrera gave up a total of 6 runs on 6 hits while allowing 2 home runs in 2 innings of work.
As the third left-hander in the Cubs' bullpen, Cabrera was never likely to finish the season with the Cubs at the Major League level, especially when you consider Shota Imanaga and Porter Hodge were among the pitchers making their return from injury. As it turns out, Michael Fulmer, who originally took Cabrera's roster spot, was designated for assignment when Imanaga returned on Thursday.
Edward Cabrera dumped — and quickly resurfaces with a division rival
It wouldn't be out of the question that Cabrera sticks around with the Pirates' bullpen for the remainder of the season. Especially when you consider the fact that the Pirates have several pitchers who could be moved before the MLB Trade Deadline. Of note, Mitch Keller and David Bednar are two Pirates pitchers who have been connected to the Cubs.
There's been plenty of focus on Keller as a potential deadline arrival for the Cubs, but Bednar would be an ideal option to round out the backend of the Cubs' bullpen. The bullpen has stabilized since the beginning of the season, when the struggles of their relief corps were one of the reasons why they took a gamble on Cabrera. That said, with an ERA of 2.93, it seems that Bednar is finally over the struggles that plagued his 2024 season and start of 2025. Bednar would give the Cubs another experienced arm in their bullpen.
