The dynamics of the National League Central continue to shift as the St. Louis Cardinals continue their rebuild of their minor league system with many unknowns on their major league roster while the Chicago Cubs made a big trade for Miami Marlins pitcher Edward Cabrera.
I first saw the news of this Chicago Cubs acquisition shared by Jeff Passan on X.
MLB Trade Rumors says the other minor leaguers going from the Cubs to the Marlins in this deal along with outfield prospect Owen Caissie are Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon. The trade for Edward Cabrera can be added to a list of moves made this offseason by the Cubs including trades for pitchers Ryan Pressley from the Astros and Matt Festa from the Rangers. Former Cardinal Carson Kelly also signed a two-year deal with the Cubs. Oh, and the Chicago Cubs have also reportedly been in touch with Bo Bichette, too. I checked the poll that MLB Trade Rumors shared regarding Bichette and the Cubs are believed to be the 4th most likely landing spot behind the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Phillies according to their crowd.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have also been adding to their 2026 roster with the three-team trade with Tampa Bay and Boston that brought them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and lefty pitcher Mason Montgomery and top outfield prospect Jhostynxon García. Ryan O’Hearn was a big free agent signing for the Pirates as he inked a two-year contract with the Bucs.
The Cincinnati Reds tried and failed to convince Kyle Schwarber to come onboard. The Reds did sign J.J. Bleday to a one-year $1.4 million dollar deal. Cincinnati also traded for Dane Myers in exchange for prospect Ethan O’Donnell. The Milwaukee Brewers have not added any significant players this offseason and might be considering subtraction as there are rumors they’re talking with the Dodgers and Braves about Freddy Peralta.
What have the St. Louis Cardinals been up to this week? Other than convincing the Cleveland Guardians to give them left-handed pitcher Justin Bruihl for “cash considerations”, not much that we know about at this point. There are likely a lot of conversations happening behind the scenes regarding Brendan Donovan and the ongoing Nolan Arenado situation, but I haven’t even seen any new rumors that looked valid enough to pass along. I did see a share by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that says the St. Louis Cardinals haven’t completed a Donovan trade yet because “it comes down to a difference in perceived value.” The good news? As of today, we’re just over 33 days away from Spring Training.
