Cubs close to snatching up oft-rumored SF Giants starting pitching trade target

The SF Giants had been connected to Miami Marlins starter Edward Cabrera this offseason, but the flamethrower is now seemingly off the table as the Chicago Cubs are reportedly close to snatching him up via trade.

The Giants were one of several teams linked to the Marlins flamethrower as the New York Yankees and Cubs were also in the mix but the Yankees connection seemed to be loose at best which seemed to open the door for the Giants if they wanted to make a splash, but it now seems the Cubs beat them to the punch.

SF Giants seemingly out of the running for Edward Cabrera

The deal is not certain as of right now, but it definitely seems like it is on the precipice of getting done. That means the Giants will have to look elsewhere if they want to upgrade the rotation but it is very questionable whether they are even looking to do that at this point.

General manager Zack Minasian said the team is comfortable with its five starting pitchers after adding Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle to the mix. He said the team would continue to explore trades or free agent signings, but it did not sound like the team is desperate for more rotation arms.

Cabrera would have been an interesting addition as he has a lively arm with a fastball that regularly reaches the upper-90's velocity-wise which would have been welcome in a rotation that could use some extra juice.

The big concern with Cabrera is his ability to stay healthy. The most starts he made in a season was 26 last season with Miami and he had a 3.53 ERA as he had 150 strikeouts in 137 and 2/3 innings pitched.

He had some elbow issues late in the season which is not a great sign for next season, but maybe he will be fine and can take that next step to be a proven and reliable starter.

There is clearly a ton of upside with Cabrera and the Cubs are betting on that upside. It is not known at this time what the Cubs are offering for Cabrera so it is tough to gauge whether the Giants could have made a competitive trade offer, but it is always a risk trading for someone like Cabrera who has potential but has not yet established himself as an elite starter.

As for the Giants, they seem content to go into 2026 with their five starters and having their young pitchers serve as depth behind those five. Maybe that will prove to be a prudent strategy, but there are still a lot of question marks with the pitching staff entering next season.