The Cubs bolstered their infield depth with a former top-100 prospect.

It cost them one of their former top minor leaguers to net him.  

The team acquired infielder Vidal Bruján from the Marlins for first baseman Matt Mervis on Sunday, sources confirmed to Marquee Sports Network. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Bruján had been designated for assignment by Miami on December 20.

The 26-year-old was a top 100 prospect in baseball from 2019 to 2022 with the Rays before being traded in-state last offseason. He’s struggled to find consistency in the majors, in 550 plate appearances across 201 games, he’s slashed .189/.261/.270 (.531 OPS) with 5 home runs and a 50 weighted runs created plus, 50 percentage points below league average.

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Bruján has, though, had success at the plate in the minors — in 59 games at Triple-A Durham in 2023, he hit .272/.362/.477 (.839 OPS) with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases and a 110 wRC+.

He has defensive versatility in the big leagues that should give manager Craig Counsell plenty of options off his bench. Bruján has played every defensive position in the majors, except catcher and has primarily served at second base, third base and shortstop. The switch hitter could provide some speed off the bases, too. He swiped 44 bags in Triple-A in 2021. Bruján is without minor-league options.

The Cubs had been in search of an infield depth option that could hit from the left side. That would give them cover if second baseman Nico Hoerner isn’t fully recovered at the start of the season from his offseason flexor tendon surgery. If Hoerner is a full go, then Bruján provides a bench option that can provide a day off for Hoerner or Dansby Swanson and allow them to have another lefty bat in the lineup, something the Cubs have been in search of this offseason.

Bruján also could be in the mix for the job at the hot corner, too. While the Cubs have mentioned top prospect Matt Shaw as a possibility at third, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he was “not going to gift him that job on a conference call in the middle of December.”

Mervis was a success story for the Cubs after going undrafted in the shortened 2020 MLB Draft. Signed for $20,000, Mervis quickly ascended to the big leagues and clobbered minor-league pitching. At Triple-A, he posted an .882 OPS with 52 homers over 242 games. But that success never translated to the big leagues.

In 127 plate appearances, Mervis had a .481 OPS with 3 home runs for the Cubs.