Orioles reportedly take a flyer on infielder Everth Cabrera
There were rumblings a few days ago that the Baltimore Orioles were close to a deal with free agent infielder Everth Cabrera. On Monday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed that the two sides had come to terms on a one-year contract for $2.4 million.
Cabrera’s issues are no secret. He received a 50-game suspension in 2013 for his involvement with Biogenesis and he has a trial date in April for resisting arrest. The 28-year-old was non-tendered by the Padres in December and while carrying some risk, instantly became an interesting option for teams looking to improve their infield depth.
In the end it was that Orioles that took the bait, hoping Cabrera might be able to regain the All-Star form he flashed in 2013. He’s coming off a rough year where he hit just .232 and was plagued by a hamstring injury, but for just a one year commitment it’s worth seeing what he can bring to the team.
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The left side of Baltimore’s infield is set with J.J. Hardy at shortstop and a healthy Manny Machado at third base. Jonathan Schoop provided strong defence at second base in his first full major league season but wasn’t quite as successful at the plate, slashing .209/.244/.354 in 137 games.
At worst, Cabrera can be a solid backup at both middle infield spots and a great pinch-runnner (99 stolen bases since 2012) off the bench. If he looks good, he could force a competition with Schoop and utility man Ryan Flaherty for playing time at second and maybe even snag the starting job.
After losing Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz in the offseason, the Orioles are in tough to defend their AL East title from the reloaded Red Sox, intriguing Blue Jays, and Yankees.
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Adding Cabrera won’t be the move that sets Baltimore apart from their rivals, but the potential is there for him to contribute to the cause.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
