A pair of potential suitors may have fallen Edward Cabrera race. Houston and Baltimore are yet to trade a talented right-hander, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson added that Miami did not want to sell short on Cabrera in the deal.
The Marlins’ starting rotation has been the frequent subject of trade talk throughout the season. Reports surfaced in early December that the club was listening to offers for all of its starters, except for Eury Perez. Sandy Alcantara has been the subject of regular rumors for the past few seasons, while Cabrera once Ryan Weathers have been floating around as far as possible trading chips lately. It would take a big offer to get to Alcantara, Jackson noted.
The Orioles have been linked to Cabrera for the past few weeks. The club has been linked to almost every top name in the free agency and trade market, since Framber Valdez again Guard Suarez to Freddy Peralta again MacKenzie Gore. President of baseball operations Mike Elias was able to make some significant changes last week, turning over multiple prospects and draft picks for the right-hander. Shane Baz. Elias said the organization will continue to work to solidify a replacement, although the latest trade may have ended their pursuit of Cabrera, given the capital that took Baz from Tampa Bay.
Baltimore and Miami entered into an agreement at the 2024 trade deadline that worked for both teams. The Marlins sent a lefty Trevor Rogers to the Orioles in an outfielder Kyle Stowers and an infielder Connor Norby. Rogers emerged as Baltimore’s top starter this past season, while Stowers delivered an All-Star campaign with his new team.
Houston has been in the market for young, manageable starters this offseason. The club’s rotation was destroyed by injuries in 2025, with Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneskiagain Brandon Walter all who need Tommy John surgery again Luis Garcia He went down with another elbow injury. With Valdez hitting free agency, the Astros entered the offseason as well Hunter Brown and a host of unproven staffing options.
Like the Orioles, the Astros made a significant move to address their needs last week, getting Mike Burrows to the Pirates in a three-team trade for the title Brandon Lowe. Similar to Baltimore, Houston spent a lot of prospect money to get a young starter. The one who plays outside Jacob Melton and the right hand Anderson Brito went to the Rays in a deal. Melton was among the organization’s top prospects, while Brito was a rising name, albeit with little career experience. Parting with Melton and Brito for Burrows may have affected Houston’s ability to put together a package for Cabrera.
After brilliant seasons often cut short by injury, Cabrera finally put together solid results in 2025. The 27-year-old posted a 3.53 ERA in a career-high 137 2/3 innings last season. Cabrera maintained a solid 25.8% strikeout rate while pushing his walk rate into single digits for the first time.
Cabrera suddenly went down on his elbow in early September, but returned in the final week of the season to work it out. A brief return may have been a trade interview, indicating to interested parties that Cabrera was ready to enter in 2026. The righty is under club control until 2028. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Cabrera to earn $3.7MM in the settlement. The team that gets him will have him for three seasons at a reasonable price.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
