Mervis, who had a strong spring training for the Cubs last March, will battle for at-bats at first base, where Jonah Bride (.276, 11 homers, 39 RBI in 71 games) is the projected starter, and potentially at designated hitter. In the minors, Mervis played 331 games at first base, one at third and one in the outfield.

A Washington, D.C. native, Mervis made his major league debut on May 5, 2023, against Miami and batted .167 in 27 games during his first stint in the majors.

The Cubs and Marlins made an intriguing trade on Sunday that will allow them both to take a flier on a former top prospect.

The Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs swung a trade on Sunday, with the Marlins acquiring former first base prospect Matt Mervis in exchange for infielder Vidal Brujan. The Marlins had recently designated Brujan for assignment.

The Chicago Cubs have made another trade, this time shipping out one of their former top prospects to add a utility man that gives them more defensive options.

The Cubs made a trade on the periphery of their 40-man roster Sunday, acquiring utility player Vidal Bruján from the Marlins for first baseman Matt Mervis and cash, the team announced. The move will provide a change of scenery for a pair of 26-year-old players who were once highly touted prospects.

The Cubs have traded one former infield prospect for another. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on his X feed early Sunday afternoon that the Cubs have dealt first baseman Matt Mervis to the Miami Marlins for utilityman Vidal Bruján,