Report: Rays sign Asdrubal Cabrera to one-year deal
The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, and in doing so, they've basically hung a sign that says, "A trade is happening over here."
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was first to report the Rays and Cabrera had a deal, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post adding that it's a one-year contract. We don't know the terms yet, but Cabrera is definitely hoping to bounce back from one of the worst seasons of his career and get a bigger deal next season as a free agent again at age 30.
More interesting than Cabrera going to Tampa is what the move means for the Rays. Cabrera can play shortstop and second base — he played short most of his career with the Cleveland Indians, but played second for the Washington Nationals in 2014 after a July trade. He totaled a .241/.307/.387 slash in Cleveland and D.C. in 2014 and a total WAR of 1.7 per Fangraphs.
The Rays have both a second baseman and a shortstop in Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar. They were reportedly willing to trade either before signing Cabrera. They're also in the process of reworking their roster and getting rid of older players. So adding Cabrera to the fold will throw gas on those trade talks.
Zobrist is the most alluring target, because a number of teams have been chasing him since last season. He can play all over the diamond and help a team who needs a second baseman (such as the Nats), a shortstop (such as the New York Mets) or a team looking for someone to stick in the outfield or infield (such as the San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners).
Zobrist hit .272/.354/.395 in 2014 while playing second, short and every outfield position for the Rays. His 5.7 WAR, per Fangraphs, was best on the team. He's 33 and due to be a free agent after 2015, which is one of the reasons the Rays would be willing to let him go now.
It could be Escobar on the move too, but he's coming off a down year in 2014, so his value isn't as high as Zobrist's at the moment. The third alternative is that the Rays keep all three, putting Zobrist in the outfield more often.
Given the interest in trading for Zobrist before this, and how it's going to intensify now, that last option doesn't seem all too likely.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
