Given that the Chicago Cubs’ offense is one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball, Cubs fans may not be aware of the start to the 2025 season that former Cubs prospect Matt Prospect has had with the Miami Marlins.
Traded by the Cubs to the Marlins in January for utility infielder Vidal Bruján, Mervis had been making headlines earlier in the season with a stretch where he hit 5 home runs across 6 games. Since then, Mervis has cooled down. Entering play on Saturday, Mervis is carrying a slash line of .203/.273/.494. While Mervis does have 7 home runs on the season, his 103 wRC+ through his first 88 plate appearances with the Marlins would suggest he still has a boom-or-bust offensive profile.
For comparison purposes, Cubs first baseman enters Saturday with a 151 wRC+ through his first 123 plate appearances this season.
While Busch was in the highlights for hitting his first career grand slam en route to the Cubs’ trouncing of the Milwaukee Brewers, Mervis also had a viral moment on Friday, but it is one he probably wishes to forget.
Not the Matt Mervis highlight Cubs fans may have been expecting
Mervis gained popularity during his ascension through the Cubs’ minor-league system, with fans dubbing him “Mash” Mervis before he ever stepped foot on Wrigley Field. There is no doubt it was a fun story at the time, but there is also no doubt that the Cubs aren’t missing Mervis. Busch isn’t on the verge of becoming one of the best first basemen in the National League; he already is. Busch’s 151 wRC+ this season is second only to Pete Alonso’s for National League first basemen.
Meanwhile, for Bruján, the player the Cubs got from the Marlins for Mervis, he’s been fine as bench piece during the first month of the season. Used mostly as a pinch-runner this season, it wouldn’t be a complete shock if Bruján is the odd man out once the Cubs determine Matt Shaw is ready to return to the Major Leagues.