Marlins looking at their return in the Edward Cabrera deal as a 'potential bonanza'

Under Jed Hoyer, the Chicago Cubs have been among the most risk-averse teams in Major League Baseball, consistently playing it safe and focusing on incremental improvements around the margins. Last winter, we saw the front office deviate from that in a major way for the first time, trading rising prospect and a package of talent to the Houston Astros for one year of Kyle Tucker.

With Tucker still searching for a new home on the free-agent market, Hoyer struck a high-risk, high-reward trade this week with the Marlins, acquiring oft-injured right-hander Edward Cabrera and sending top prospect Owen Caissie and fellow minor leagues Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon to Miami.

The Cubs' fanbase is pretty split on the trade. There's a contingent that's excited to see Hoyer get aggressive and go out and make a move like this after years of watching him play it safe. Another group has major concerns about Cabrera's ability to stay healthy - and that's a justifiable worry given his track record.

Miami is very high on Owen Caissie, confident in starting pitching depth

As far as folks in the Marlins organization are concerned, though, they're loving the package they received for the 27-year-old. In a new piece at The Athletic (subscription required), Ken Rosenthal says they view the deal as 'a potential bonanza'. They love Caissie and the upside he brings and are optimistic on Hernandez, who ranks as their #12-ranked prospect, as well as De Leon.

Look. This is a move that could go sideways. There's no denying that. If Caissie breaks out as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate in Miami and Cabrera suffers a serious arm injury that costs him a year-plus, people will be quick to criticize Hoyer for making the move. But if Caissie takes a while to get his feet under him and Cabrera takes things to a new level under Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, it'll be a different story entirely.

We won't be able to grade this trade out for some time. But, for me personally, it was a trade the Cubs needed to make - and it was refreshing to see Hoyer get outside his comfort zone and pull the trigger on a move like this. Now, go get one of the big free-agent bats and put the finishing touches on this offseason.