Edward Cabrera knows his new in-season home might require a little adjustment from what he’s used to in the majors. Cabrera, acquired from the Miami Marlins earlier this month, had his first chance to meet his new teammates and coaches Friday at the Cubs Convention — and with it a taste of Chica go’s wintry weather, to which the 27-year-old wryly noted, “It’s super cold.” Cabrera is looking forward to his opportunity with the Cubs. “I’ll go out there and give them my 100% to reach the end goal, which is to win,” he said Friday through an interpreter. Photos: 2026 Cubs Convention The Cubs had their sights on hard-throwing right-hander since last offseason and again in July at the trade deadline, neither time being able to align with Miami on a trade. “He’s been a guy that has been a favorite of some of our pitching infrastructure guys for a long time,” team President Jed Hoyer said Friday at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “Obviously, great stuff. Feels like he’s a guy that could be just kind of scratching the surface of what he can do. And so, that was a big part of it: It’s a guy with the analytics matched up, the age matched up, the service time matched up, and the fact that there’s some guys that had conviction on him for a long time.” The Cubs experienced last year the value of having quality starting pitching depth, which helped them navigate injuries to Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. They fully expect to need nine or 10 starters to again get through the season, though Cabrera possesses the kind of stuff that can be a separator in the league. “This is a pitcher that’s kind of coming into his best years,” manager Craig Counsell said Friday. “He’s talented. He’s put innings under his belt, which is just the experience. He’s getting better and I think he’s primed, in Year 5 in the major leagues, to improve and kind of take another step forward, which we think makes him a very good starting pitcher.” Cabrera’s new teammates know they are getting a pitcher with high upside and a chance to be a difference-maker in the rotation. “Edward’s got amazing talent,” Matthew Boyd said. “It was really cool, you take notice of guys around the league, you saw the season he was having last year and it was like, ‘Man, that’s really impressive.’ Can’t speak highly enough about our coaching staff and development and whatnot, they helped me enormously. I just think we’ve got one of the top rotations in the league, and he’s going to help us win ballgames.” Cabrera’s addition doesn’t come without risk, of course. The Cubs traded their top prospect, Owen Caissie, who was in line to get at-bats in their designated hitter role or in the corner outfield if there were injuries. Cabrera’s health history creates a big question of how durable he can be over a full season. He has thrown more than 100 innings in a big-league season just once, coming last year when he threw 137 2/3 innings in 26 starts. Column: Something old, something new and a whole lot of blue at the Chicago Cubs Convention Cabrera has landed on the injured list seven times since 2021, his first big-league season with the Marlins. Five were ailments to either his right shoulder or elbow. He admitted that in the past, his injuries mentally affected him. “I’m at the point where it doesn’t anymore,” Cabrera said. “I go out there and I give it the best of my ability, I give it my all every time I go out there and pitch.” Hoyer and the Cubs believe Cabrera is a worthwhile gamble. “Guys throw really hard now, their stuff is amazing,” Hoyer said. “Guys get hurt more often. It’s kind of part of the game. So you always weigh that risk, but you also realize that with increased stuff comes that risk, and it’s sort of part of the game too. You have to have really good pitching to win, and you also have to have a lot of pitching to win.” ...read more read less