Cubs Trade Matt Mervis to Marlins for Vidal Bruján

Matt Mervis was named the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the year in 2023, but was not able to carry those big numbers to Chicago and was displaced last season by Michael Busch. Seiya Suzuki moving into the primary DH spot meant there was really no room for Mervis in Chicago or on the 40-man roster. As such, he was traded to the Marlins in exchange for infielder Vidal Bruján, who had been designated for assignment last week.

Bruján will turn 27 in February and has seen action in parts of the last four seasons with Tampa and Miami, tallying five homers and putting up a 50 wRC+ over 550 plate appearances. That’s pretty much a full season, so we can get a pretty good picture of who he is as a hitter. Which is to say he’s not a good hitter.

Defensive versatility is another matter, as Bruján logged at least 10 innings at six different positions last season. He’ll serve mainly as organizational depth now that the Cubs have parted ways with several other infielders over the last few weeks. This should not be viewed as an insurance policy for Matt Shaw because Bruján is a big liability as an everyday player. But as a former top-100 prospect who fits a little better in the system than Mervis, I guess it’s okay.

My hope is that Mash does exactly that with a little more leeway and virtually no pressure in Miami.