I really wanted the Cubs to give Matt Mervis a chance to prove he either belonged in the majors or didn’t, but that was back in 2023. The Cubs traded the left-handed hitting first baseman/DH this past offseason to the Marlins in exchange for former top-50 prospect Vidal Bruján. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think much of and nothing’s really swayed me since on Bruján, but on the other side of the deal some fans thought Jed Hoyer screwed up by giving up on Mervis.
Those fans who still wanted Mervis to stick around with the Cubs were feeling justified in their anger early in the 2025 season, when Mervis was a monster for the Marlins through the first couple weeks of the year. From Opening Day through April 13, Mervis had a 1.077 OPS with five home runs in only 38 plate appearances.
Clayton McCullough optó por Matt Mervis como emergente por Jonah Bride en el séptimo inning ante Jorge López.
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) April 13, 2025
Respondió con jonrón de tres carreras por todo el CF. Lleva 5 en la temporada. pic.twitter.com/R7E8n0oJs3
You’re thinking this was another classic case of a player just needing a change of scenery to help bring out their best. I mean, if you followed Cubs prospects at all from 2022-24, then there’s no doubt that you saw the countless highlights of Mervis mashing pitching at Triple-A.
It was a frustrating time a couple years ago because it’s not like the Cubs had any real good options to play first base during the 2023 season and at that point you’d prefer to give the younger player a shot. That’s in the past though and after Michael Busch’s solid first year in the big leagues with the Cubs in 2024, there just wasn’t a spot for Mervis.
And well, how much can you actually trust a sample size of less than 40 plate appearances? After Mervis hit his fifth homer of the year on April 13, he got 96 more plate appearances with the Marlins before they also decided to cut him loose at the end of May.
In his last 31 games with the Marlins Mervis had a slash line of .128/.219/.244, that’s a 26 wRC+. So yeah, Jed Hoyer wasn’t actually fleeced in that Mervis for Bruján trade.
As for Bruján, he began the 2025 season on the injured list before he was activated on April 15. He’s primarily been a true bench player, only getting four starts at third base, while playing in 17 total games with the Cubs. The switch-hitter is batting .278, going 5-for-18, at the plate.
On Monday, the Marlins outrighted Mervis to Triple-A after he passed through waivers unclaimed by the other 29 teams.
Mervis, 27, does have a minor league option year remaining so he could eventually be shuttled back and forth between Triple-A and MLB this season either with the Marlins or a different organization if he’s ultimately released by Miami.
