1:28pm: The deal is now official, per a club announcement by the Marlins.
12:27pm: The Marlins are set to acquire first baseman Matt Mervis from the Cubs, according to a report from Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that infielder Vidal Bruján is headed to Chicago in exchange for Mervis’s services. Brujan had been designated for assignment by the Marlins last week. Maddie Lee of the Sun Times also reports that the Cubs are sending cash to Miami alongside Mervis.
Mervis, 26, signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent back in 2020. After struggling in his first taste of professional action in 2021, the slugger tore up the minor leagues in 2022, slashing an excellent .309/.379/.606 with 40 doubles and 36 homers in 137 games across three levels of the minors. That included a long run of success at the Triple-A level, where he hit .297/.383/.593 with 15 doubles and 15 homers in just 57 games. The performance was strong enough to earn Mervis some top-100 prospect buzz during the 2022-23 offseason, and his rapid ascent through the minors provided some optimism for a Cubs franchise that had recently dealt longtime first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline in 2021.
Unfortunately, Mervis wasn’t able to make the most of his opportunity when he first reached the big leagues in 2023. While he continued to rake at Triple-A (.282/.399/.533 in 100 games), he struggled badly in 99 big league plate appearances with a lackluster .167/.242/.289 slash line that was good for a 48 wRC+ that year. Strong batted ball data and a .317 xwOBA indicated that Mervis may have been slightly unlucky in his first cup of coffee in the majors, but his hefty 32.3% strikeout rate would’ve been a significant red flag even if he had gotten better fortune in terms of batted balls finding holes. That led the Cubs to pivot away from Mervis last winter, trading for Dodgers prospect Michael Busch and installing him as the club’s everyday first baseman.
Busch took off as an above-average hitter right out of the gate with Chicago, posting a 119 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR in his rookie season. Mervis, by contrast, appeared in just nine games and posted a dreadful -4 wRC+ in that limited playing time. Even his minor league numbers took a step back this year, as he hit just .235/.329/.434 (97 wRC+) in 81 games at Triple-A this past season. All this made Mervis entirely expendable for Chicago, so the club opting to trade him is hardly a shock. With a rebuilding Marlins club, the Triple-A slugger figures to get a larger big league opportunity than he ever received in Chicago. He’ll compete for playing time at first base with incumbent first baseman Jonah Bride, who impressed with a 123 wRC+ in 71 games for the Marlins last year but has yet to complete a wire-to-wire season in the majors ate age 29.
While Mervis is hardly a surefire big league piece, the Marlins are giving up very little to land him. Bruján, 27, was DFA’d by the Marlins last week to clear 40-man roster space after he struggled to produce as a big league regular in 2024. Once a consensus top-100 prospect with the Rays, Bruján failed to hit at all in 99 games with Tampa across three seasons before being dealt to Miami last winter. The Marlins made him a fixture of their bench mix this year, but he hit just .222/.303/.319 (73 wRC+) in 278 trips to the plate. Despite that lackluster performance at the plate, Brujan did provide some modest value as a decent baserunner and an extremely versatile fielder. The switch-hitter mostly split his time between shortstop, second base, and third base in Miami last year but is also capable of playing all three outfield spots and even made brief cameos at first base and on the pitchers mound last year.
That should be enough to earn Brujan the opportunity to compete for a bench job with the Cubs this spring. Chicago has completely overhauled their bench mix this offseason, parting ways with Christian Bethancourt, Mike Tauchman, Nick Madrigal, and Patrick Wisdom last month to make way for alternative options. Carson Kelly joined the club’s roster to form a tandem with Miguel Amaya that will occupy one bench spot, and outfielder Alexander Canario currently seems poised to act as the club’s reserve outfielder behind Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Kyle Tucker. That leaves two spots up for grabs, and Brujan currently appears poised to compete with Rule 5 draft selection Gage Workman and internal options Miles Mastrobuoni and Luis Vasquez for those two spots, though another external addition could certainly grab at least one of those bench roles and only the catching tandem appears to be completely locked in for 2025.
I hope all the best to Mash Mervis. Shame he couldn’t figure it out in the big leagues.
Mervis’s services. I’ll have to use that in my next song!!!!
That turn of phrase gets full marks. Well done, Nick!
Tell me that the Cubs will now cut Mastrobuoni and I am a happy guy.
I’m not a huge Mastro fan, but to be completely fair, he still has a bit of value. He can play 3b, 2b, SS, and both corner OF spots, and is a pretty good pinch-runner. Plus, he’s good enough to make a Major League baseball roster. I played college ball at Purdue and I know how hard THAT was, Anyone good enough to get an MLB contract is better than me, and worthy of at least some respect. If Miles ends up being the worst player on the Cubs ’25 roster, it won’t be the worst thing in the world. I’m still waiting to see bullpen moves and improvements. That’s going to be the real story of this offseason.
Exactly!!! He was very reliable defensively last season. Him and Nick Madrigal(when healthy) were great bench options defensively. I know it’s hard to keep a great batting average while not getting any at-bats tho,
Was hoping the exact same thing. Doubt he could be any worse than Miles.
Hey miles is our 3rd baseman if our heralded rookie doesn’t pan out which has been known to happen all the time in the bigs.
Mash Mervis is going to start in Miami. He’ll be Mashing Mervs all year long. Maybe even munching them.
That’s OK. Because Mervis wasn’t going to start here. Ballesteros moved ahead of him in the Cubs pecking order and probably Long too. The Cubs really never gave him a second chance and we’ll never know why apparently. He failed in his first try here but doesn’t mean he can’t be productive. A switch hitting IF helps the Cubs right now. Does Brujan still have options? Might make him more valuable.There’s no denying the Cubs bench sucked the last 2 years.
And their bench are well on the road to sucking this year also.
Does the Cubs getting Brujan give them the infield depth to trade Hoerner to the Mariners?
Define “infield depth”…
Fair enough. My comment as an M’s fan was more hopeful as anything else.
Depth maybe, but there’s no comparison to Hoerner in terms of proven starter talent.
No, agree. Not even close.
Don’t think it alters the equation that much. Cubs have multiple top 10 prospects at AAA with 2B experience, but Nico covers SS as well. I think the bigger impediment to a trade is Nico underwent surgery on his throwing arm and won’t be ready to around the start of the season.
He’s likely replacing Patrick Wisdom, nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni (who tbe cubs still need to cut.
Cubs aren’t cutting Mastro. He has really good speed/defense
This is a cut Miles Mastrobouni trade.
They aren’t cutting a good pinch runner/defender
That’s exactly what Brujan supplies.
They don’t have to cut Mastrobuoni as Mervis was on the 40 man so they don’t need to make a corresponding move. More likely Workman gets the job if he performs decently in ST. Anyway competition breeds interesting possibilities. Vasquez, Mastro, Brujan, Workman all seem to be fighting for 1 spot. Or maybe 2? We’ll see.
He’s not that good. He’s an average at best defender. Slightly better than Patrick Wisdom who is/was a Defensive liability.
I discounted Long out of that mix too soon. He can be a RH 1B bench guy and can play 3B and OF too. Although you really don’t want to see him play a ton of OF. More like break glass in case of emergency.
Mastrobouni is an auto out and a mediocre defender. The next add for the cubs should be followed by a Mastrobouni dfa. I am glad they got something for Mervis and he will actually have a shot to play.
Ben Cowles is also in the mix – come spring training.
Cowles went 0 fer- the AFL. He’s in the mix the same way I am.
No.
His numbers suggest he can’t hit a bull in the ass with a board.
Why would you want to hit a bull in the ass with a board? Seems kind of dangerous to me.
Because a board is easy to swing?
Haha! That’s an oldie but a goodie. My old man used to say, “He couldn’t hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle”. Usually when we were watching a Cub game. Still makes me laugh. Thanks for the reminder.
My guess is that Triantos is better than Brujan
I sure hope so. Triantos is a current top 100 prospect by all sites while Brunson is a former top 100 prospect just designated for assignment cause he hasn’t shown much so far in his limited time in the pros.
They’re not trading Hoerner prior to the season starting. That ship has sailed. His offseason surgery complicated things, plus it sounds like Cubs are too cheap to pay Castillo. I would have made that deal in a heartbeat. if I’m Hoyer
When they traded Smith and Paredes that wiped out the possibility that Hoerner will go anywhere this year. Plus trading him now while he’s injured they’d be selling low. The only way he goes anywhere at the deadline is if Triantos tears it up in Iowa, then he might get moved at the deadline but don’t count on it. Plus if Hoerner is healthy he’s still the best SS they have if Swanson goes down.
I don’t see the Cubs moving Hoerner at this point after trading away Paredes. Unless the Cubs plan to make a run at someone like Bregman then I assume Shaw is set to start the season at third. Cubs seem disinclined to move Busch off first to open a spot for someone like Alonso.
Jed probably thinks he traded for Vidal Sassoon.
If he doesn’t look good, Jed doesn’t look good.
League altering move. I can’t pick my jaw up off the floor.
It’s about as much as the Twins have done this offseason.
You’re not wrong. I’m waiting for the team to be sold.
*cries*
If the Twins make a big move it will be trading away Pablo Lopez
Hopeful — From the outside looking in, I’d say the Twins are one of the better examples in the League of doing things on all levels either well or very well. They buy free agents, extend their own talent, make excellent trades, develop pitching and hitting, and have a robust International presence.
Sure, no team is ever perfect, but what would you be looking for in a new Ownership? I get that it’s been a slow news season in Minnesota…
Agreed! And I feel my beloved Tigers are playing that same strategy. I *love* the idea of avoiding insanely expensive albatross contracts and focusing on developing talent in-house, and getting better via trades.
Baseball fans tend to be too impatient and want a quick fix.
#freethetwins
Contracts like the one given to Javy Baez?
I think it is BECAUSE of Javy Baez that Detroit is now focusing on in-house development and measured acquisitions
Minnesota was active in free agency and on the trade market through a larger part of Levine’s and Falvey’s tenure, but the Pohlads utilizing cost-cutting measures and not making a single significant move between the last two trade deadlines and last two offseasons is beyond frustrating. The Pohlads have typically been penny pinchers, but that’s an understatement in these last two seasons. Pretty sure that’s why Levine left the team.
Internally, the talent is there in the farm and in the former prospects that have developed, but ownership and the front office have failed to bring in any valuable external talent to supplement it. The Twins could be good if ownership was willing to commit more money to payroll. When they were hanging by a thread for a playoff spot this season, they opted to put unproven rookies on the mound instead of acquiring starting pitching.
New ownership would ideally invest in the team and at least make moves. The Pohlads are basically keeping their vault locked and not taking anything out of it, despite their wealth, and better ownership would at least open their vault for a better team.
Hopeful — I get ya. I’ll say this, when the Orioles were getting ready to sell the team, they cleaned up the balance sheet; payroll down, reduced future commitments, and only did 1 year deals in free agency.
I’d take heart, you have a very functional FO and top tier evaluation/development systems. Dollars only get you so far anyway. Twins’ll make a moves soon enough. I wouldn’t envy an other AL Central team too much.
Seems to me the Twins are in an exciting time period as they are moving from one generation of players, to the next, while remaining competitive. Tough thing to do! Really, only CLE does it as well, but the Twins play with seemingly a bigger budget. Traditionally, anyway.
Just an outsiders perspective, I don’t know all the nuances, which is why I asked.
Yep, who needs Dasani because he wants too much given his lack of talent. We now have visa and he is much more affordable in rickets book.
Hopefully Brujan replaces Mastrobuoni (spelling?)
State Farm
Yes, dump Mastro now
I don’t get what teams see in Bruján.
He’s fast, able to play all over the field, is a switch-hitter, and a former top-100 prospect. He might not be good, and he probably would have been 40-man roster fodder if he wasn’t on the Marlins or White Sox, but guys like that stick around as depth pieces.
And I think coaches have egos as well. They see a guy with traits like Bruján’s and think they’ll be the guy to turn him into a good player.
He will be useful. Remember, the COVID lockdown took away a full season of ABs for upper minors players (like Brujan). Stunted some development. I believe in the tools and he can build off a season where he had some promising run. Lopez took his spot when Brujan went on the IL. CC is a guy who likes positional versatility.
He’s not worth the Brouhaha, haha
But if they cut Mastro, that’ll be worth a brew
How does this make the Cubs better? Mervis didn’t get much of a shot and likely lost confidence. Not sure why they couldn’t develop a guy that had so much promise. Wish him the best.
Sean
It gives the Cubs a backup infielder who can hit 0.220 instead of Mastro at 0.160.
Mervis was not getting another chance and there likely was little demand for him.
Brujan plays all over the field, gives the team positional flexibility as a utility player…
Playing middle infield and being able to hit from the left side.
Nowhere for Mervis to play, get what you can.
and I thought Miami was shooting for White Sox season loss record. My bad…
No Worries, Cubs fans have a few other prospects that they fawn over, the latest being Owen Caissie, he is the new Matt Mervis.
…And Mervis would’ve batted cleanup for the White Sux.
I’m interested to see how Mervis plays with the Marlins, rooting for him to have a big season.
Listening to Cubs fans whine doesn’t get old.
Caissie strikes out too much, Mervis might be the better player. Also hoping Madrigal catches on somewhere and hits. Will be two flubs for the Cubs.
You’re seeing what you wanna see. I wish Mervis well, but he’s 26 and was given a real shot with the Cubs and couldn’t cut it. Caissie had a tremendous year in Triple A and is 5 years younger.
I think Caissie has a sweet lefty swing, I watched his highlights, his swing is long though, and those K’s are high.
Mervis crushed MiLB too. Two seasons ago Cubs fans were all about Mervis just like they are all about Caissie. Cubs have a nice stack of interesting prospects though, one or two should work out.
As a White Sox fan, I’m hoping Nick Madrigal and Matt Mervis have big seasons.
Even swap of players in need of change of scenery. Brujan is down in the pecking order. Jed loves Miles Mastroubouni too much, why I have no idea the guy can’t hit at the MLB level…
Not quite sure why everyone thinks Mastrobuoni has even the slimmest shot of making the roster come March.
Gage Workman was selected in the Rule 5 draft and needs to on the active roster the entire season.
The only chance he would have at this moment is if the Cubs don’t have hope Hoerner is going to be ready for Opening Day. And it that case, it’s a much poorer scenario than having Matrobuoni around.
Cubby- Workman may or may not be here. He has ST to prove he belongs or he will go back to the Tigers or they work out a trade. I’m sure the Cubs have another prospect Harris would want if the Cubs decide Workman is worth keeping. He doesn’t HAVE to be on the 40 man all year. There are ways around it. The only question is, Can he play SS enough to be valuable and Strike out less than Wisdom. Seems pretty attainable to me. Wisdom is an Air Conditioner.
Uncle…there are really no ways around it. Workman must be kept on the Cubs MAJOR LEAGUE roster the ENTIRE season or be offered back to the Tigers. Yes, being on the IL is covered, but he would need to be hurt.
At least as it stands now…they didn’t select him to play prospect games.
All things equal today…Workman is the starting 3b on opening morning against Yamamoto and Mastrubuoni is not on the team.
No sorry but you’re wrong. yes he has to be OFFERED back to the Tigers who just signed Gleyber Torres and still are stuck with Javy Baez and still have Colt Keith. Harris doesn’t really want him back. Like I said they can work out a trade. The only question is if the Cubs want to keep him, And want to send him to Iowa, Because he’s a rule 5 guy does he have the right to refuse and declare Free Agency? That I don’t know but as far as offering him back that’s not a big deal.
To expound: Harris doesn’t want him back because he would have to be kept on the 40 man. If he took him back he’d probably DFA him anyway which doesn’t make a ton of sense. Then he’ll go on waivers and maybe released or traded. Like I said, he’d probably take a deal from the Cubs first. But if nobody wants him the Cubs could always re sign him to a Minor League deal if he doesn’t land anywhere else. They must like him or they wouldn’t have claimed him. He’d probably be better off here anyway. The Cubs have a definite shortage of LH IF bats in the upper minors.
Have you looked at Workman’s k rate in the minors? Last year showed improvement and it was still terrible. Whether he can strike out less than Wisdom after he skips AAA and starts facing major league off speed pitches is a serious question.
All it cost to find out is a tiny chunk of cash.So……
Workman needs a good spring to push for a roster spot. He had a substantial K % Rate in Double A last season, and that was even off an improvement from previous season. Good shot by Cubs though, to take on him. Could be a gem.
I like Mervis for the Marlins. No real First Basemen or DH so lots of opportunities for AB’s to show if he can produce at the MLB level
Good gamble for both teams if either or both players improve. Marlins could use a little thump in their lineup and Brujan plays nearly every position, providing utility. Makes sense for both sides…
Brujan hâd some good stretches last season. Got injured, lost regular ABs to Otto Lopez. I think with Counsell (who loves positional versatility) – he has a shot to be a contributor
I’m betting history will show this was an awful trade in 10 years.
I’m betting history won’t remember either of these players unless they do something notable off the field
Hence the 10 years.
Seems like a nice flier for the Fishies.
I am kind of surprised that Vidal Brujan was the best the Cubbies could get for Mervis though, but I guess that just shows how far MM’s stock has fallen.
Plus the Cubs had to include some cash.
I’m curious to know how much cash. The guy was designated for assignment.
This deal feels like a misstep rooted in surface-level analysis rather than a deeper understanding of advanced metrics, particularly when considering the long-term upside and versatility Bruján offers compared to Mervis’s limited profile.
You probably never actually enjoy a baseball game when you attend or even watch on tv. Everything and everyone will be analyzed to such an extent that when you have it all figured out the game is over. The way I read this story, both teams management were displeased with what they had and both agreed on this trade hoping the player received and given improve sufficiently to help their new teams. That is all.
Really? To me it looks like the Marlins taking a flier on a guy who might be able to fill a position of need for them while giving up a guy who doesn’t have a spot on their roster.
That’s exactly what the Cubs just did! Huh imagine that.
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Love Vidal Brujan, hope he makes the most of the latest opportunity. Good prospect pedigree, sometimes. it takes a bit longer for guys to get adjusted. I think he will push Mastribuoni for a UT spot, can also play multiple positions. Had some good stretches last season.
Jonathan Long should see more playing time in Iowa, now that Mervis is gone.
Good baseball trade
Meh…Mervis, like Busch, is a JAG (just a guy). But, he seemed to be a good guy all in all. Hopefully with the rebuilding Marlins, he’ll get a shot to play every day and maybe he can make the break-out Cub fans hoped he’d have in 2023. As for Brujan, he’s a decent enough backup that might give Gabe Workman a challenge for the opening day roster. If not, he’ll just spend time at Iowa while Workman opens as the starting 3b, assuming the Cubs want to give Matt Shaw a little breathing room before he takes over third base.
Busch is just a guy? Yeah he’s just a guy who hit 21 HR’s and played stellar 1B and is a LH bat. Wish we had more guys just like him. Especially since he played half his games in Wrigley which was a hitters nightmare last season.
Just to toss this out. Wrigley was a poor hitters park last season. That’s a fact. Counsell and Hoyer both mentioned this phenomena after the season. Does anyone have any firm ideas or proof why? I looked at some weather details and what I personally found was no real difference in weather compared to other years. That part of the city can be considered a micro climate. The north side along the lake can be significantly different than the south side where the White Sox play. Again, I found no real weather difference than previous years. Maybe there a Tom Skilling weather except out there who can offer some insight.
I think it was just random luck. The wind was blowing in for more home games than usual. It plays pretty close to neutral almost every single year.
Being a weatherman in Chicago is just like being a fortune teller at the circus. I wouldn’t rack my brain with it if I were you. I’ve lived in Chicago for my whole 68 years and can’t explain it. Don’t see how anybody else can. The only thing you can count on is it will change every twenty seconds.
Led–agree with that guess above all. The videoboard/scoreboards have been there for about ten years already. The ball park has been in the exact same spot for over 100 years. The lake has been there longer. I’m voting with you on just random luck.
Or—since the Cubs are one of those analytical teams with high ranking defensive players at most positions, maybe they are trying to keep the ball in the park on purpose. Wonder what magic goes on in that little room they keep the game balls in???? Ha!
Fair enough I guess. Random stuff happens. Just strange to me. The engineer/science in me is always looking for answers and documented facts.
Hot days in the summer the wind blows out towards the lake. Lake effect is such that it can actually stay quite hot at night as the lake heats uo during the day. But most of the time when it’s cold and stormy, the wind blows in, as during April and May. In a nutshell
Make no no mistake Uncle, I like him. But my reasoning is based on him A. being 27, and B. him only putting up solid numbers for one year. That said, if he manages to put together 3-4 more years like 2024, then he’d be a solid bridge-guy until the next big left handed 1B bat arrives at Wrigley.
Poor man’s Jake Burger
“Mervis’s services”
Been dying to use that phrase, I bet.
The Cubs traded for Vidal Brujan because a confused more than ever Jed Hoyer thought they were getting Giselle Bundchen
Getting anything for Mervis is remarkable
He’s that bad? Give me a break.
Sasaki wants too much given his talent which is why we need Brujan who is much more affordable and as cheap as they come. You can also kiss tucker goodbye in a year.
A major market team making a big splash mervis for Brujan. What a joke as tickets continues to tease us with these moves. Even with Tucker all it did was to open up another position of huge need.
…Troy Johnston is never getting an opportunity, is he…
This seems like a…choice…by the Marlins, but it is what it is at this point
Top prospect Mervis, not to be confused with a whirling Darvish. As Tony the Tiger said during sidebar in a break of the Pop Tarts Bowl: “He’s a gonna be great!!!!”
Wait did they pick up Vidal Brujan or Vidal Sassoon? Someone’s going for a blow dry perhaps
Hmm… surprised the Cubs faithful aren’t suggesting the acquisition of Brujan:
1. provides depth as a 2B in the event Nico Hoerner is slower to recover
2. provides an alternative to the Cubs in the event the Mariners insist on Nico Hoerner as part of a Luis Castillo trade..
..both suggestions are speculative and can both help improve the Cubs chances of taking the weakened NL Central…
Hmmm…Marvis for Brujan.
Pitchers in the NL Central are happy. Pitchers in the NL East are happy. Actually, pitchers in both divisions don’t care because both guys have holes in their bats.
I’m happy that Bendix finally gave up on Brujan.