Tuesday night was the deadline for teams to offer or
non-tender players and the San Diego Padres made an interesting move by not
offering a contract to shortstop Everth Cabrera. Cabrera is a 28 year old
switch hitting shortstop with three years of team control left and a whole lot
of baggage. Just like any free agent, and non-tender candidate, Cabrera would
come with pros and cons and we plan to try and list those here.
Pros:
- · Switch hitter
- · 28 years old, youthful
- · Three years of team control
- · Doesn’t gut the farm system to acquire
- · Made less than $2.5 million in 2014
- · Above average league rating per 9 and per game defensively
- · Has 40 stolen base speed
Cons:
- · Coming off a down 2014 season and a Biogenesis suspension
- · Had a DUI charge last season questioning his character
- · Walked only 20 times in 2014
- · Low BA, OBP, and OPS
As you can see Cabrera is not the complete package and would
not bring the dynamic to the infield and the lineup that say a Troy Tulowitzki
would but in the same breath is more than a simple band aid or stop gap. The
farm system does not have a shortstop closer than three years away and the free
agency market looks bleak for the foreseeable future at the position and
Cabrera could fill the position until a more attractive player becomes
available via free agency, in a trade or through the farm system (here’s
looking at you Jorge Mateo). Cabrera is not Plan A but he is better than
Stephen Drew or Brendan Ryan so if the team doesn’t have plans on acquiring
Tulowitzki or a Starlin Castro type they may want to take a long and serious
look at Cabrera in 2015.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)