Cubs must address big elephant in the room after huge trade

During the offseason, the Chicago Cubs knew they needed to address their starting rotation, so they went out and swung a trade to acquire Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

The Cubs sent top outfield prospect Owen Caissie to the Marlins in exchange for Cabrera, a steep price to pay. But given how good Cabrera was last year and how much Chicago needed another, it was deemed worthwhile.

Early on, that appeared to be the case, as Cabrera did not allow a run in either of his first two starts, picking up right where he left off in 2025.

Things have since changed, though, as the right-hander has labored significantly over his last six outings. Cabrera has surrendered three-plus runs in each of them, including a five-spot in a loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

There clearly seems to be an issue with Cabrera, and Chicago absolutely must get it fixed.

Chicago Cubs must find the problem with Edward Cabrera

What made Cabrera such an enticing young hurler during his time with the Marlins was his velocity and strikeout rate. He regularly sat around 98 mph on his four-seam fastball, and he averaged 10 punchouts per nine innings throughout his five-year tenure in South Beach.

That hasn’t really been the case for Cabrera in 2026.

Cabrera’s velocity has dipped considerably this season, as he is averaging just 95.8 mph on his four-seamer. His breaking ball has also fallen off considerably, going from one of the best in baseball last year to only decent with the Cubs … and he is getting tagged because of it.

After surrendering just 17 home runs in 26 starts last season, Cabrera has already given up seven homers in eight starts in 2026, with all seven of them coming over his last four outings.

Is the 28-year-old injured? Is something wrong mechanically? I would say it could just be regression, but that doesn’t explain the sudden dip in velocity, which has resulted in Cabrera logging just 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

What’s ironic is that Cabrera’s biggest issue has always been his control. This year, he owns a career-best 2.9 BB/9, and yet, his 1.317 WHIP is higher than his lifetime average of 1.310. Why? Because he has allowed 46 hits over 46.1 frames.

The Dominican native does have an injury history, so it might be worth it for Chicago to examine him to see if something is wrong. Otherwise, this could go very south, very fast.

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