It’s not the splashy deadline move Cubs fans are desperately waiting for. Nobody’s printing a jersey. Nobody’s losing their mind on Twitter. But quietly, on a Monday afternoon ahead of a road trip to New York, Chicago dipped into the bargain bin and pulled out a name worth keeping an eye on — if only because the Cubs’ pitching situation right now demands that every option gets at least a second look.
Jhon Cabral. Twenty years old. Just released by the Marlins. Now a Cub.
The Numbers Are… Not Great. Let’s Be Honest.
Full transparency — this isn’t a hidden gem story. Not yet anyway. Cabral has been pitching in Rookie Ball since 2022, which means he’s now in his fifth year at the lowest level of the minor league system without a promotion to show for it. His trajectory hasn’t exactly been pointing upward either.
His best season came in 2024 — a 3-0 record with a 4.40 ERA across 11 games, which at least showed some promise. Then 2025 arrived and things went sideways fast — 0-2, a 6.08 ERA in 15 games. And 2026? Brutal doesn’t quite cover it. In just 3.1 innings across five Rookie Ball appearances, Cabral posted an 18.90 ERA. Nine walks. Eight runs allowed. Getting absolutely peppered at a level most pitchers clear in their first or second professional year.
Miami looked at all of that and cut him loose on June 2nd. The Cubs looked at all of that and said — sure, why not, minor league deal, let’s see.
So Why Did Chicago Bother?
Fair question. And honestly the answer probably lives somewhere between “we see something in the raw stuff that the numbers don’t capture yet” and “it costs us virtually nothing to find out.” Minor league fliers on released arms are as old as baseball itself — sometimes they pay off, more often they don’t, but the price of a lottery ticket is always worth it when your bullpen is bleeding.
And the Cubs’ bullpen is very much bleeding right now.
The Real Story: Chicago’s Pitching Is a Problem
Saturday against the Blue Jays told the whole ugly truth. The bullpen coughed up eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings alone, turning what could have been a comfortable win into a disaster. Craig Counsell stood at the podium afterward and didn’t dress it up. “We just didn’t have a good day in the bullpen,” he said. “Three guys had bad days and we gave up a lot of runs because of it. We just didn’t get it done.”
Counsell’s a smart enough manager to know bullpen implosions are part of a long season. But knowing something is inevitable doesn’t make it sting less when it happens — especially for a Cubs team sitting at 40-37 and squarely in the mix for a playoff spot.
The Bigger Picture: A Deadline Move Is Coming
Here’s what actually matters beyond Cabral’s signing. Chicago has already made one move, acquiring right-handed reliever Jayden Murray from the Astros in exchange for minor league first baseman Cameron Sisneros. That’s a real, tangible bullpen addition — not a lottery ticket.
But the real headline brewing behind all of this is starting pitching. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Cubs have been making calls and sending texts to opposing front offices for weeks, making it absolutely clear that a starting pitcher is their number one trade priority before the August 3rd deadline. The roster — both at MLB level and in the minors — is strong enough to make a significant move. The rotation just needs to stay healthy long enough to get there.
If Chicago can land a genuine front-line starter between now and deadline day, the Cabral signing becomes a forgotten footnote in what could be a genuinely exciting second half.
Hot take to close: Jhon Cabral probably doesn’t make it out of the low minors. That’s just the honest reality of where his numbers are right now. But the Cubs aren’t signing him because they expect him to save their season — they’re signing him because desperate pitching situations make you look everywhere, even the bargain bin. The real move is coming at the deadline. This is just Chicago keeping the lights on until then. 🔥
