Asdrúbal Cabrera to Nationals - 1 year / $2.5 million

[Eye Black]

I thought there was a chance the switch hitting Cabrera might be on the Brewers radar this off-season.

 

From MLB Trade Rumors...

 

Nationals To Re-Sign Asdrubal Cabrera

 

The Nationals are in agreement on a contract with free agent infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Robert Murray first reported the sides were nearing a deal (via Twitter). Cabrera will be guaranteed $2.5MM, Heyman adds, with an additional $500K available in incentives (via Twitter).

 

Cabrera, 34, latched on with the Nats in August. He was fantastic for the eventual World Series champs down the stretch, putting up a .323/.404/.565 line (145 wRC+) over 146 plate appearances. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story of Cabrera’s season. He compiled a meager .235/.318/.393 line in Texas. The Rangers released him the first week of August, presumably after finding nothing to their liking before the July 31 trade deadline. Cabrera’s .260/.342/.441 cumulative performance was almost exactly average.

 

Coupled with still-solid defensive metrics at second and third, Cabrera was worth just under two wins above replacement (1.7 bWAR, 1.9 fWAR) in 131 games. If he can replicate that production in 2020, he’d be a bargain, even if he maxes out his incentives and collects the possible $3MM.

 

The signing is perhaps more interesting from a broader market perspective. Cabrera and Starlin Castro, who agreed to a two-year deal with Washington yesterday, are both solid players who figure to contribute on a more-or-less everyday basis. Yet they’re not the marquee players some Nats’ fans may have been hoping for once Anthony Rendon left.

 

Washington looks to be one of the finalists for Josh Donaldson. The top free agent still on the market, Donaldson is reportedly sitting on multiple four-year offers, waiting for someone to match his asking price. Neither Castro nor Cabrera would seem to prevent the Nats from adding Donaldson from a financial perspective. And Washington could certainly push one or both into complimentary roles off the bench to fit a player of Donaldson’s caliber on the roster. Indeed, Jim Bowden of the Athletic hears that the Nats still aren’t necessarily out on Donaldson.

[TJseven7]

Only 2.5 sure seems like he would have been a good fit. Gotta see where guys like Holt and Flores end up price wise but getting him for even 1 mil less than Sogard would have made sense. Especially since he's handled 3b pretty well the past 2 years.

 

Castro I can easily ignore at 6/2. This one seems like a quality cheap filler piece so I'm temporarily disappointed.

[RollieTime]

I thought he would do better than that in this market. I wonder if he just wanted to return to Washington and took a discount to do so. I don’t see any way that this was the highest he could get. I definitely would have brought him in for that.

[82brewcrew82]

In a vacuum sure, I would have brought him in for that price. He may not have come to Milwaukee for that price and we have no idea what else DS has up his sleeve, if anything.

[TJseven7]

As stated I'd have beat it by 1 mil.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Cabrera might have just wanted to be in WAS. he's made 60 mil in his career.

[wibadgers23]

With the Nationals signing two infielders the past couple of days, I wonder if that means they are out of the running for Donaldson? That would leave the Twins and Braves if reports are true.

[reillymcshane]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

[clancyphile]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

 

It is probably safe to assume that he, like Starlin Castro, wanted to play for the Nats, and took lower pay to do it.

[danzig6767]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

Curious as to why Stearns would be interested in Castro, but seemed to have no interest in Cabrera who was so much cheaper, and a little better player?

[brewerfan82]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

Curious as to why Stearns would be interested in Castro, but seemed to have no interest in Cabrera who was so much cheaper, and a little better player?

I don't think you can make an assumption that Stearns wasn't interested just because it wasn't reported. He seems to be interested in anyone at the right price and checks in on so many players that I'd be surprised if he didn't have some contact with Cabrera's camp at some point. He just keeps things close to the vest and in this case it may have been clear early on that Cabrera was only interested in rejoining the Nats (which could explain the low price if there wasn't really any competition for him).

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

Curious as to why Stearns would be interested in Castro, but seemed to have no interest in Cabrera who was so much cheaper, and a little better player?

 

I imagine it has something to do with Cabrera being an atrocious defender wherever you put him.

[RollieTime]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

 

Still holding out hope for Wilmer Flores as an option as well. I wouldn’t mind signing him to a 2 year deal with a possible third year as a team option. He’s only 28 and is a much better Hernan Perez. Definitely not a world beater, but he’s a guy that could start for you and be a solid bottom of the order bat. If he played 140 games, there’s no reason he couldn’t hit 20 homers and hit .275/.320 for you. Maybe something like a 2 year deal worth $8 million with a third year team option for $5 million? That might be enticing enough for him.

[AdvantageSchneider]

I thought Cabrera was a guy the Brewers might go after. League average, switch hitter, minimal splits, adequate defensively, cheap. Not a great player by any means, but a solid player.

 

With the team's reported interest in Castro, I'm guessing Stearns wants to add someone. Just not sure who at this point. Todd Frazier might be in our sights. Or just as a likely a trade.

 

Still holding out hope for Wilmer Flores as an option as well. I wouldn’t mind signing him to a 2 year deal with a possible third year as a team option. He’s only 28 and is a much better Hernan Perez. Definitely not a world beater, but he’s a guy that could start for you and be a solid bottom of the order bat. If he played 140 games, there’s no reason he couldn’t hit 20 homers and hit .275/.320 for you. Maybe something like a 2 year deal worth $8 million with a third year team option for $5 million? That might be enticing enough for him.

 

Not sure I want to pay a guy millions of dollars who cries at the thought of playing for us. They were not tears of joy.

[MNBrew]

Tears at the thought of playing for us? I'd guess it was tears at the thought of leaving a place he didn't want to leave, the only organization he's known, not to mention learning about it mid-game and having to process it while out on the field. Lots of players have talked about how difficult it was the first time they got traded -- first time experiencing personally/directly the "business" side of the game. These guys are human beings, after all.

 

I'm not thrilled about the prospect of Flores (career BA of .268's not shabby, but the .310 OBP isn't exactly full of promise) but I'd take him if he proves the "net" best option we can actually get ("net" meaning quality of player combined w/ cost of acquisition).

 

If Cabrera would've been closer to his Washington self than his Texas self, then it would've been worth the dough, but like Donaldson or any other FA, there's no guarantee he'd have chosen to come here.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Tears at the thought of playing for us? I'd guess it was tears at the thought of leaving a place he didn't want to leave, the only organization he's known, not to mention learning about it mid-game and having to process it while out on the field. Lots of players have talked about how difficult it was the first time they got traded -- first time experiencing personally/directly the "business" side of the game. These guys are human beings, after all.

 

Wow, no kidding! I think we need a little sensitivity training sometimes, while realizing that this was a 23 year old kid that was relatively very early in his career. I don't really want him at all, but to say that he doesn't want to be here because he cried on the field years ago? Sheesh!

[bill hAll Star]

This is irrational, but while I understand that Cabrera's production is basically Seager's of late and he'd be a bargain at the level of Brett Anderson...something about the way he moves around makes me feel like he's one more tweaked ankle or knee away from basically turning into an unplayable scrub. Some probably say the same about Cain lumbering around, but Asdrubal looks very fragile on the field.