Cubs News: Edward Cabrera's changeup, Tom Ricketts bullied, Jordan Wicks' new pitch

Beyond being a high-upside pitcher under control through the 2028 season, one of the primary reasons why the Chicago Cubs have been locked onto the idea of trading for Edward Cabrera for the past year is that he features the velocity that has been missing throughout the team's rotation.

With Cabrera now a member of the Cubs' pitching staff, a revelation has been made. The 27-year-old's changeup has a higher velocity than the fastballs of any other pitcher in the Cubs' rotation. Cabrera's changeup averaged 94.2 mph last year.

Only Cade Horton's fastball velocity, 95.5 mph, topped the mark Cabrera reached with his changeup.

In many ways, Cabrera is still a project. There are durability concerns, and his fastball may need a tweak. But there's no denying that his stuff is electric. His changeup is proof of that, and if nothing else, he will also offer a very different look for opposing hitters than the rest of the Cubs' rotation.

Cubs News: Ken Rosenthal takes aim at Tom Ricketts once again

Credit to Ken Rosenthal, he has a level of persistence similar to the disdain that Kendrick Lamar has for Drake. Rosenthal has been a noted critic of how the Cubs operate in recent years, and even after the Edward Cabrera, he urges the team to use free agency to address their need for offense.

Rosenthal isn't wrong. As had been stated throughout the offseason, part of the allure of the Cubs trading for a cost-controlled starting pitcher is that it would leave them space to add an impact bat to their starting lineup.

There is now a clear path toward the Cubs walking away from the offseason with not only Cabrera, but one of Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, or Cody Bellinger. If the Cubs don't, for as great as the move for Cabrera was, it will have felt like they left an opportunity on the table.

Cubs News: After a lost development year, Jordan Wicks has a new pitch

Throughout the 2025 season, it felt like the Cubs ran out of a development plan for former first-round pick Jordan Wicks. Wicks was purely an up-and-down arm for the Cubs last season, and after the arrival of Cabrera, it's even harder to see him breaking camp with the team on the Opening Day roster.

But it does look like the Cubs have identified a new development plan for the 26-year-old, and it involves a new pitch.

Given Tyler Zombro's increased role in the Cubs' front office, the expectation is that there will be plenty of crossover between the team's pitchers and Tread Athletics. If Wicks' new curveball can get him back on track, he suddenly becomes an intriguing option for the Cubs--even if he does start the year in Iowa.