Cubs' pitching setup shows why Edward Cabrera is the perfect risk to take

The Chicago Cubs finally landed the high upside pitcher they've been longing for in the trade for Edward Cabrera. Although the cost stings, sending off Owen Caissie and two other prospects with high ceilings of their own, it's the price of adding velocity and potential with three years of control remaining coming off the best season of his career thus far. He's the type of pitcher the Cubs have long lacked, even if there are real concerns associated with his injury history.

Cabrera has had a grand total of eleven IL stints with the Marlins since coming up to the majors, including problems with both his shoulder and elbow. Last year alone, he missed time twice with issues related to the elbow, the most concerning of which was a late-season sprain that caused him to miss three weeks. Even in an era where pitchers are notoriously injury-prone, it's a troubling track record. It's also why the Marlins received a return that otherwise seemed a bit light, especially in comparison to the Shane Baz trade from earlier this year.

Of course, that all didn't stop the Cubs from shipping off their top prospect to make a deal happen. They clearly felt confident enough not to scuttle the trade upon reviewing his medicals, as was the case last year with Jesus Luzardo. They have some reason to be hopeful, too. For one, Cabrera made real changes to his game last year that may ultimately help him limit injuries, namely changing to a lower arm slot and leaning less on his fastball. The Cubs' pitching infrastructure is also uniquely well-suited to weather any injury issues that may arise throughout the season, at least in 2026.

Cabrera will slot into an Opening Day rotation that will likely feature Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon. However, the Cubs are now surprisingly rich in depth. After pleasantly surprising fans with a 3.95 ERA and becoming a savior of the rotation, Colin Rea is back on a restructured deal to be a swingman once more. There's also Javier Assad, who has proven capable of being a big league starter whenever called upon. Neither are guys you'd feel terrible about having as back-end rotation pieces for a time.

Then, there's Justin Steele, who underwent elbow surgery last year. Craig Counsell dispelled all rumors back in December by confirming the timeline is for the former Cy Young contender to return to the team sometime in the first half. With Cabrera in the fold, however, the Cubs have the freedom to slow-play their ace's return to ensure he's at full strength and try to avoid a situation like the Marlins experienced with Sandy Alcantara's early-season struggles. Once he returns, Counsell will then have some extra room to play with the rotation and, perhaps, go to a six-man lineup to keep everyone rested.

Craig Counsell is equipped to give the Cubs the best version of Edward Cabrera

Add in the fact that top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins is now in Triple-A and could be in play later in the season if he continues his run of success, and it's clear the Cubs have the flexibility to cover for any missed games Cabrera may necessitate. Yet, maybe the biggest boon for the 27-year-old righty will be Counsell himself. Since coming to Chicago, he's shown off his reputation for finding ways to give pitchers extra days of rest, at least when they aren't a billion injuries piling up. He understands the MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint. That approach may at least limit the time Cabrera has to spend off the field.

When healthy, Cabrera will have a chance at being the best pitcher on the team. He has the arm talent for it, with a 97 MPH four-seamer and sinker and a mix of 94th percentile breaking pitches and 88th percentile offspeed pitches that helped him find success last year. 2025 also saw him take great strides with his control, cutting his walks per nine down from 4.67 to 3.16, further contributing to his lower 3.53 ERA in a career high 137 2/3 innings. There are still improvements to be made, particularly to his hard-hit fastball, but that's where Tommy Hottovy and Tyler Zombro will come in.

This is a Cubs organization that has been enamored with Cabrera for some time and had him among their targets at last year's trade deadline. They undoubtedly feel like they could be the ones to unlock the full potential of the young fireballer, and they couldn't have picked a better time to roll the dice on him.