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Cabrera is using his four-seam fastball more in spring training as a complement to his changeup, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Cabrera's changeup is his signature pitch, and he throws it often. However, the Cubs are asking the righty to throw his fastball more as a contrast to his off-speed stuff and to make the changeup more effective. Cabrera is throwing the four-seamer 30% of the time so far this spring, which is up from 13% during the 2025 regular season. He has good velocity on the pitch, averaging 96.7 mph last year, so he should be able to find success with the increased usage if his command is locked in. Cabrera was a key offseason trade acquisition for Chicago after posting a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts across 137.2 innings for the Marlins in 2025.
Cabrera struck out three batters across two perfect innings in Friday's Cactus League game against the Guardians.
Making his spring training debut for the Cubs after getting traded over to the team in January, Cabrera looked sharp as he didn't allow any baserunners over his two innings of work. The righty can miss plenty of bats, as evidenced by his career 10.0 K/9, but he also has struggled with control at times and has a career 4.5 BB/9. Cabrera did manage a career-best 3.1 BB/9 in 2025 for the Marlins to go along with a 3.53 ERA, which was down from the 4.95 ERA he posted a year earlier. If the 27-year-old righty can continue to limit walks, he could be in store for a strong first season in Chicago.
