The Mets are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline this year, according to numerous reports. Most of the speculation has involved moving one of the Mets’ starting pitchers, but there is a position player who could be attractive to a contender.
That position player is second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, one of the few Mets showing life at the plate this year. Through Sunday Cabrera has amassed a slashline of .280/.328/.479. He’s getting hits, and he’s got some pop as well, he is on pace to hit close to 30 home runs this year. The 32 year-old lacks the range on defense that he had when younger, but he is still a sure-handed fielder.
Most teams in contention are pretty well set at second base, but there is one contender that is both hungry for postseason success and in need of an upgrade at second. That team would be the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are pretty secure in their spot atop the AL Central, but their goal is to break the World Series drought extending back to 1948, when the teams’ stars included Bob Feller and Larry Doby.
Jason Kipnis has mostly been manning second base for the Indians this year, and his offensive production has nose-dived. Let’s put it this way: Todd Frazier, Michael Conforto and Kevin Plawecki all have higher batting averages this year than Kipnis does. His slash line is .216/.302/.341 in 81 games. Although he is probably a little better defender than Cabrera, he is really an average at best fielder at second with a lifetime UZR of -1.7.
Cabrera was an Indian from 2006-2013, and made two all-star teams during that span. So he has a history with the team, and he plays a position that is one of need for Cleveland. He has an $8.5 million contract, but the Indians would only be responsible for less than half of that, with the Mets having already paid over half the salary. Cabrera will be a free agent after the season, so any trade of him would be of the rental type.
The Indians would not be likely to offer an elite prospect for Cabrera, but a good prospect would be a fair deal for both teams. The Indians went to the World Series in 2016 and had a deep playoff run last year, but their window to win it all might start to close next year. Relief pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Michael Brantley will be free agents after the season.
Trading Cabrera would also give more players in the Mets’ organization opportunities to make their case for a starting berth. Jeff McNeil is a second baseman who has been pounding the ball in AAA this year. T. J. Rivera is rehabbing in the minors after elbow surgery, and Gavin Cecchini is recovering from a foot injury. All three are capable of playing second base.
A trade sending Cabrera to the Indians would seem to make sense for both teams, short-term benefits for Cleveland, and hopefully longer-term benefits for the Mets.
what are the 2019 mets going to look like ?
Hopefully, younger and better
Not too good,I’m thinking. The same OF ,hopefully Conforto will be better, and Cespedes and Bruce healthy. The infield, Frazier,Rosario,McNeil, Smith with Alonso in the wings doesn’t look too good. The BP has to better than this years and the starters if none are traded should be good. This won’t be a winning team.
They’d better get a stronger return than the garbage relievers Sandy received last season. We need talent at the major league level, not minor league filler.
no chance for a rental like Cabrera, even if you eat his salary.
But look at the guys they traded,Grandy,Duda,Walker,Bruce none of them are having much of a season. My garbage for your garbage. Cabrera, Familia,Flores, Reyes will bring back even less.
yup
Just add a thought: Jason Kipnis was on the Mets radar during the last off season. Kipnis manning 2nd base with his production and salary structure would have been and extra burden that I’m sure we would be talking about endlessly.
Maybe Cabrera gets packaged out as part of a bigger trade with lets say Wheeler or Matz.
The Mets had better make a lot of changes in the off season, because this is two years in a row with the same formula and it has not worked.
What the Mets need is a real GM with a proven track record of talent evaluationand building a strong system.
Back up the trucks! Plenty of players will be leaving. The return will be minor, but the team will be younger and the payroll will be less. Cabrera,Reyes, Blevins, Familia, Flores. ,maybe one of the starters, better to go all in (or out)and trade two. This will be a 100 loss season I’m afraid.
Cabby has some nice offensive numbers and offers a quality veteran bat from both sides of the plate. His brutal defense and $3.5-$4.0 million due clearly impact the return. The word is that the Mets will eat money for a better prospect, which I’ll believe when I see it. In any event, they need to move Cabby and sooner than later. He was a good Met in my book, but they need to make room for both McNeil and TJ, which requires this deal and parting with Mr. Reyes. Get it done before something happens to Cabby. Please.
I’ll miss Cabby. He not only hits, but in the clutch. I like his energy too. He brings personality and spark to this team. In the off-season, I prefered leaving him at third and bringing in a second baseman with range in the field and speed on the bases – Gordon, Hernandez, Harrison, Merrifield – but Alderson couldn’t figure out how to make a trade that didn’t involve Nimmo. Had we done this, we would have the option of bringing him back another season at third or looking at the many upcoming superstar FAs at the hot corner. Instead we’re stuck with Todd Frazier and we have to let Cabby move on. Short sighted thinking as usual.
Matt, I think we are all in a bit of a funk with the team, which leads us to each celebrate the names on the back of the jerseys and not the name on the front. I remember the same with Johan, RA, Lagares etc in recent years. The fact is, if Cabrera were at 3b, the situation would be horrid. Frazier is much better. We got more out of AC than I thought imaginable, and to this day, that he’s held together all Macguyver-like its pretty amazing hes out there at all. But his run is over. I think the Mets faithful will remember him as a net positive.
I heard the Dodgers are interested.
Chris!!! Chris!!! I cant believe it!!!! I agree with every word you say!!
Is everything ok?
write this time and date down Gus. The Mets finally broke the world order and managed to mix oil and water together successfully!