This has been an offseason of flashy moves, from Juan Soto going to the New York Mets to Corbin Burnes shockingly choosing the Diamondbacks, but not all transactions are created equal.
Sometimes, the most impactful moves are the ones that go under the radar. While it may not live up to quite that standard, the Cubs and Marlins did agree to trade two players with impressive prospect pedigrees that haven't panned out at the big league level.
Trade news: The Chicago Cubs are acquiring utilityman Vidal Bruján from the Miami Marlins for first baseman Matt Mervis, sources tell ESPN. The deal is done. Both are former top 100 prospects looking to carve out at-bats in a new location.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 29, 2024
Mervis was a frequent back-end find on pre-2023 top prospect lists following an absurd 2022 season in which he hit 36 home runs, slashed .309/.379/.606, and climbed three levels in a single season. He got the call to the majors early in the 2023 season, but he's just never been able to replicate his minor league success in limited exposure.
In just 116 at-bats, Mervis is batting a pitiful .155 with a ghastly .481 OPS, numbers that simply don't hold up in the big leagues, especially for a middling defensive first baseman. With Michael Busch established at first base for the Cubs, Mervis was redundant on the 40-man roster, and it's not a surprise to see him moved.
The Marlins will expect him to immediately compete for their vacant first base job. He's got plenty of power, which certainly appealed to a team that ranked bottom-five in home runs last season, but they'll need to coax better contact and swing decisions out of Mervis if he's going to be a long-term starter for them.
As for Bruján, the versatile infielder will offer the Cubs a lot of roster flexibility, should they choose to keep him there. He was DFA'd by the Marlins ten days ago after the Fish signed Eric Wagaman.
He has stepped to the plate 550 times over the past four seasons, with five home runs and a .189/.261/.270 batting line. He has swiped 14 bags but he’s also been caught 13 times.
Unlike Mervis, Bruján was a Top-50 prospect, and appeared on those lists practically every year from 2019-22. The good news for the Cubs is that, despite his big league struggles, Bruján has continued to display excellent versatility and a solid bat in the minors, posting a 113 wRC+ over the last four seasons at Triple-A.