In late December, the Chicago Cubs made a rather head-scratching move by sending Matt Mervis, who was their No. 7 prospect as recently as 2023, to the Miami Marlins for Vidal Brujan. 

Mervis remained a top-30 prospect for the Cubs in 2024, but after one down year and two failed stints at the major league level, the Cubs seemingly threw in the towel. 

Mervis had enjoyed plenty of success in the minor leagues over the two seasons before 2024, hitting .309 with 36 home runs in 2022. But with Michael Busch at Mervis’ primary position of first base and Seiya Suzuki at DH, there wasn’t a place for him on the diamond.

In that particular aspect, the trade makes sense. Brujan is a flexible defender who can play both infield and outfield positions. However, Brujan’s track record is rather concerning. Having earned the rank of MLB’s No. 50 prospect in 2021, Brujan’s viability as a major league hitter quickly became questionable. From 2021 to 2024, Brujan accrued 497 major league at-bats in which he posted a .189 average with two home runs.

In fairness to Brujan, he could still be the star talent he was once projected to grow into, but the Cubs took a sizable risk in trading for him. This season, he is out of minor league options. If at any point he should be removed from the roster, perhaps to make room for Matt Shaw’s return, he would need to be designated for assignment.

Trading Mervis for a player whom the Cubs intended to use as a backup utility player was also puzzling, but regardless of the risks, it seems the Cubs are already losing the trade.

Having struggled through spring training and spent a brief period on the IL, Brujan has returned and seen action in three games, totaling three at-bats. He is 1-for-3 with a double. 

Mervis, on the other hand, has seen semi-regular action with the Marlins. In 56 at-bats, Mervis is slashing .232/.323/.589 with six home runs. Already, we are catching a glimpse of Mervis’ power potential starting to play in the major leagues.

In retrospect, taking a sizable risk on Brujan might have been ill-advised. Prior to Opening Day, the Cubs needed at least one more quality starter. The season-ending injury to Justin Steele has only exacerbated this issue. It appears Mervis would have served the Cubs better as a part of a trade package for a pitcher rather than flipping him for a risky backup infielder. 

For now, we can only conclude that Miami won this trade.