BREAKING: Cubs Acquire Left-Handed Starter Braxton Garrett from Marlins [UPDATED]

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of this piece indicated that the Cubs were acquiring Angels left-hander Reid Detmers, based on my own reporting and that of Bleacher Nation Cubs reporter Michael Cerami. I won't speak for Cerami, but my own understanding is that both pitchers were in play for the team, but that the Cubs backed away from the Angels' demands on Detmers at the last moment and pivoted to Garrett, in whom they've been interested for some time, as we reported last week. My source had their wires crossed as to which pitcher was acquired, and I failed to follow up with sufficient thoroughness after Cerami's report broke. I apologize for the confusion. Without speaking for Cerami, I take responsibility for rushing the reporting on the deal.]

The Cubs have been close to acquiring Braxton Garrett before. On Monday, ahead of the MLB trade deadline, they finally reeled in the fish. Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news on Twitter.

Garrett, 28, has spent most of this season in the minor leagues, battling to complete his rehab and to reestablish his foothold in the Miami rotation after undergoing Tommy John surgery in December 2024. His sinker is a ground-ball machine, and when he can fill up the zone with his five-pitch mix, he can be dominant. He's an upside play for Chicago, after they acquired Kevin Gausman Sunday night to co-lead their playoff rotation alongside Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd. 

Like Reid Detmers, whom the team considered heavily before pivoting based on the intransigence of the Angels regarding the return, Garrett is under team control through 2028. He can also be optioned to the minors, and might spend time at Triple-A Iowa before joining the team for the stretch run, a source briefed on the team's thinking said.

As befits the seasons each pitcher is having, the Cubs are paying a much lower cost for Garrett than they would have had to pay for Detmers. Christine De Nicola of the Miami Herald was first with the names of Jonathon Long and Jace Beck, two lower-tier pieces in the thin Cubs farm system. Garrett is, in the Cubs' eyes, a buy-low version of Detmers. They were interested in Detmers even at a higher price, but not the one to which the Angels cleaved even at the endgame of negotiations.

Chicago is expected to move on to a relief addition before the deadline.

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[tornmeniscus]

You sure about that?

[Arlen]

Well, may this one be happy for all concerned.