Asdrubal Cabrera

MLBTR Polls: Washington Nationals’ Recent Additions

By TC Zencka | January 5, 2020 at 8:41am CDT

The defending champion Washington Nationals began their offseason in a holding pattern, awaiting the fates of two of their brightest stars: Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. What shook out couldn’t have been more on-brand for the pitching-focused Nats. Strasburg re-upped with the only professional organization he’s known, while Rendon joined Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Joe Maddon on an Angels’ team frontrunning for Best Smiles in the AL West, if not the division crown.

Following those twining, superstar sagas, the Nats embarked on a period of relative calm throughout much of December. While waiting in the hallway with the Twins and Braves for Josh Donaldson to make his final contract demands, Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo contented himself with bringing back as much of the championship gang as he could manage. Living legend Howie Kendrick will be back for three-to-five starts per week somewhere in the infield, Yan Gomes returns to block Patrick Corbin sliders and share in the catching duties with Kurt Suzuki, and even mid-season bullpen stabilizer Javy Guerra will get another crack to stick in the bullpen on a minor league deal. Ryan Zimmerman continues to wait in the shadows, certain to re-sign at some point, though how regularly Mr. National will see the field in 2020 is entirely unclear.

This week, however, the Nats grew tired of waiting for Donaldson and moved to add a trio of free agents. Asdrubal Cabrera is the most familiar new/old face. The man most-often charged with protecting Juan Soto in the lineup during 2019’s second half returns to Washington on a one-year, $2.5MM guarantee. Cabrera put up insane numbers in August and September for the Nats (.323/.404/.565). While he bonded nicely with the club in his second stint in the District, the Nats’ can hardly expect Cabrera to put up anything close to the Rendonian line he boasted over the season’s final two months. Somewhere between Kendrick, (presumably) Zimmerman, and top prospect Carter Kieboom, Cabrera represents a capable option to gather loose change at-bats between first, second, and third base.

But the Nationals added a rival to that infield mix as well, inking Starlin Castro to a somewhat surprising two-year, $12MM deal. Ten years into his big league career, Castro turns just 30-years-old in March while carrying an uninspiring .280/.319/.414 career line. The Nats plan to let Castro have second base until Kieboom or somebody else takes it from him, and while he fits an organization ethos that trusts veteran contributors more than the average big league team, it’s hard to get too excited about a guy whose only real elite skill has been volume. He doesn’t strike out a ton, but he won’t take walks, and neither his speed nor power elicit much awe.

Castro did absolutely rip left-handed pitching in 2019, and in the right light, Castro’s home/road, left/right and 1sthalf/2ndhalf splits can all point to a player who deserves more credit than I’m giving him. For instance, he hit .302/.334/.558 in the second half and .286/.332/.447 away from Marlins Park. Together, Cabrera and Castro give the Nats two relatively similar players whose contributions will have to be monitored, like your favorite sublet, on a month-to-month basis.

Perhaps the most unassailable move made in this past week, funny enough, is the addition of spin-rate-savant Will Harris. Nats’ fans no doubt already hold a fondness for Harris after he surrendered the World Series winning home run to Kendrick late in game seven. Years of playoff disappointment prior to 2019 should have those in the District well-prepared to look beyond the volatility of playoff results and appreciate Harris for what he is: one of the best relievers in the league. After all, Astros’ manager AJ Hinch is hardly a doofus, and quibble if you will about his decision to let $324MM man Gerrit Cole languish away in the bullpen while Harris and Kendrick put the foul pole to work – but his decision to pitch Harris in that moment was entirely defensible. That he wanted Harris on the hill should further brighten the hearts of Nats’ fans, even if the three-year, $24MM deal given him at age-35 might cause some seat-squirming. Still, this is a guy with a 2.36 ERA/2.99 FIP over the last five seasons, and he insures the Nats’ bullpen against further wear-and-tear on Sean Doolittle or stagnation from hard-throwing righty Tanner Rainey.

Donaldson could still find himself suiting up next to Trea Turner on the left side of the Nats’ infield, but Rizzo has historically stuck to his number with position players, and if Donaldson’s demands have stretched beyond his comfortability, don’t expect the disciplined Rizzo to panic. Cabrera, Castro and Harris may not be the cavalry Nats’ fans expected to ride in to defend their first ever championship, but they’re here to help all the same. The question is, do they?

(Poll link for app users)

Nationals Designate Kyle Barraclough For Assignment

By Steve Adams | August 6, 2019 at 5:19pm CDT

The Nationals have designated right-hander Kyle Barraclough for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, whose previously reported one-year contract has now been officially announced by the Nationals. Infielder Adrian Sanchez has been optioned to Double-A Harrisburg in an additional corresponding move.

Acquired in a rare October trade that sent international bonus allotments from Washington to Miami, Barraclough was viewed as a controllable, buy-low ’pen option at the time the Nationals picked him up. While he was fresh off a fairly disappointing 4.20 ERA in 55 2/3 innings, Barraclough joined the Nationals with a long track record of missing bats and posting quality bottom-line results to match his gaudy strikeout totals. From 2015-18, Barraclough pitched to a 3.21 earned run average with 11.5 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9 in 218 2/3 innings of work. Although his walk rate was too high, he offset some of those strike-throwing issues with a minimal 0.6 HR/9 mark.

The 2019 campaign, however, proved to be an unmitigated disaster for Barraclough. Gone was his penchant for limiting the long ball — a problem that has plagued many hurlers throughout the league, albeit not to this extent — as he served up eight dingers in just 25 2/3 innings. Barraclough’s time with the Nationals will likely come to a close with a dismal 6.66 ERA and a 30-to-12 K/BB ratio in those 25 2/3 frames.

The Nats won’t have the opportunity to trade him thanks to the newly implemented August trade restrictions, but they could potentially save a bit of cash if another organization claims Barraclough on outright waivers. While this year’s results are obviously troubling, the 29-year-old Barraclough is making $1.725MM in 2019 and is controllable through the 2021 season.

A team willing to take on his remaining $510K salary this season would only owe him a small raise in arbitration and then would have the opportunity to help the right-hander round back into form. Between that and the fact that Barraclough has two minor league option years remaining beyond the 2019 campaign, a claim seems fairly likely. Other clubs have limited access to acquiring depth, and an optionable bullpen piece with a solid pre-2019 track record will be difficult to come by between now and the Aug. 31 deadline for postseason eligibility.

Nationals To Sign Asdrubal Cabrera

By Jeff Todd | August 5, 2019 at 4:06pm CDT

Not long after his formal release by the Rangers, veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera has agreed to join the Nationals, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). It’s a major-league deal, per the report.

Because Cabrera was cut loose, the Rangers will remain obligated to him for the remainder of his $3.5MM salary. But they’ll save a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for whatever time Cabrera remains with the Nats.

It has been a few years, but Cabrera is a familiar face in D.C. He spent the last few months of the 2014 season with the club after a trade from the Indians, his long-time team. Cabrera has appeared with four additional teams in the intervening years.

The match is a clear one given the current roster demands faced by the Nationals. Howie Kendrick just joined Ryan Zimmerman on the injured list, leaving the team with light-hitting utilityman Adrian Sanchez as its lone reserve infielder.

It remains to be seen whether Cabrera will be a temporary fill-in or key roster piece down the stretch. His performance will no doubt help dictate the situation.

The switch-hitting Cabrera will be looking to bounce back from a brutal run with the Rangers. Not only did he limp to a .235/.318/.393 batting output, one of the worst extended runs of his career, but Cabrera was actually fortunate to post those numbers in light of the low-quality contact he made (.308 wOBA, .287 xwOBA).

Rangers Release Asdrubal Cabrera

By Anthony Franco | August 4, 2019 at 7:39am CDT

The Rangers announced yesterday they have requested unconditional release waivers on third baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera. Texas designated the 33 year-old for assignment Thursday, an unceremonious end to a one-year, $3.42M contract.

It has been a tough season for the long-productive big leaguer, who has limped to a .235/.318/.393 line in 2019 despite calling hitter-friendly Globe Life Park home. After adjusting for the friendly enviornment, Cabrera’s 81 wRC+ means he’s been 19 percent below league average at the dish, not enough for a player no longer capable of manning shortstop.

There’s little solace to take in the underlying metrics, either. Cabrera remains a fairly patient hitter and is sporting his best walk rate in years, but that has come with a career-high strikeout rate. More worrisome, he’s simply lacked punch at the plate, with Statcast’s batted ball estimators pegging him for an anemic .212 expected batting average and .342 expected slugging percentage. Moreover, Cabrera’s been so pull-oriented this year, particularly on ground balls, he’s been exceptionally easy to defend.

Interested suitors will have to look to Cabrera’s lengthy track record instead. Indeed, he was an above-average hitter for the Mets and Phillies as recently as last season. He’ll almost certainly clear release waivers, then be eligible to sign with another club for the stretch run. Given his struggles this year following a lukewarm offseason market for his services, he may be forced to settle for a minor-league pact. Texas will remain on the hook for the rest of his salary, minus the prorated portion of the league minimum for any MLB time he logs with another organization.

Quick Hits: Salazar, Dodgers, Mets, Asdrubal

By Connor Byrne | August 2, 2019 at 1:21am CDT

Oft-injured Indians right-hander Danny Salazar took a major league mound for the first time since 2017 on Thursday, but it wasn’t a triumphant return. Salazar lasted just four innings, in which he allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks (with two strikeouts), in a 7-1 loss to Houston. It turns out Salazar was attempting to pitch through a groin issue, Joe Noga of cleveland.com was among those to cover. Salazar, who had been out with shoulder troubles, threw mostly changeups during his 66-pitch comeback and never exceeded 88.3 mph on the radar gun. That’s an enormous drop for a hurler who often overpowered hitters with 95 mph average fastball velocity from 2013-17. Salazar expressed confidence after the game that he’ll be fine, but the Indians will re-evaluate him Friday. It’s a situation that bears watching with the wild card-leading Indians’ rotation now much shallower in the wake of this week’s Trevor Bauer trade.

Rangers To Designate Asdrubal Cabrera, Tim Federowicz

By Mark Polishuk | July 31, 2019 at 11:21pm CDT

The Rangers will designate infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and catcher Tim Federowicz for assignment on Friday, according to multiple reporters (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino will be called up to take their roster spots, as per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, with Kiner-Falefa playing third base and Trevino sharing catching duties with Jeff Mathis.

The moves will clear roster space for two veterans who, now that the trade deadline is passed, don’t have much more utility on a Texas squad that is largely looking ahead to 2020. Neither player had much trade value anyway, as Cabrera had only hit .235/.318/.393 over 368 plate appearances this season, while Federowicz was basically a stop-gap backup catcher only acquired in June.

Cabrera signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Rangers last winter, holding down third base after Adrian Beltre retired. While Texas did well on quite a few of their veteran signings, Cabrera simply didn’t produce much offensively, as his production dropped off significantly after being an above-average bat for much of the last decade. Cabrera’s 23.1% strikeout rate this season is a career worst, while his .287 xwOBA ranks in the bottom 12th percentile of all qualified batters.

Between this subpar year and the fact that Cabrera turns 34 in November, the 13-year veteran may have a difficult time landing a Major League contract in the offseason. It could even be difficult for him to find another gig for the remainder of this season, though Cabrera has enough of a track record that he’ll certainly get a call if another team suffers an injury in the infield.

Federowicz signed a minor league contract with Cleveland in February and was then traded to the Rangers once Kiner-Falefa was placed on the injured list. The journeyman has appeared in parts of eight big league seasons, with a career .574 OPS over 439 PA.

Rangers Notes: Deadline, Pence, Cabrera

By Connor Byrne | June 26, 2019 at 1:52pm CDT

The Rangers continue to defy the odds and rack up victories. Winners of three straight, the team’s 43-36 and in a three-way tie with Cleveland and Boston for the American League’s second wild-card spot. Because of their unexpected success, the Rangers may end up as buyers prior to the July 31 trade deadline. General manager Jon Daniels recently discussed the club’s mindset leading up to the deadline with ESPN Dallas 103.3, per the Dallas Morning News. While Daniels indicated the Rangers’ main focus is on building a successful team for the long haul, he admitted that “you can’t ignore the fact that it’s fun every night at the park.” With that in mind, Daniels added Texas will “be very open-minded” when trade season begins in earnest, saying: “We’re not going to set any limits on this team, but we’re also not going to do anything to take shortcuts and endanger what we feel is a really bright future for the club. We’re just going to try to be smart about it. See what opportunities are out there — how do we get better both now and in the future? Bottom line, this club’s done a lot of good things. They’re a lot of fun to watch, certainly would like to support them if we can.”

MLB Issues Three-Game Suspension To Asdrubal Cabrera

By Connor Byrne | June 24, 2019 at 4:35pm CDT

JUNE 24: The league has reduced Cabrera’s suspension to three games, Grant tweets. Cabrera will sit out the Rangers’ series against the Tigers from June 25-27.

JUNE 21: Major League Baseball has issued a four-game suspension to Rangers third baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Cabrera will appeal the ban, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets.

Cabrera received the suspension for throwing equipment on the field at umpire Bill Miller on Thursday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. One piece of equipment “apparently” struck Miller in the ankle, per Grant. Cabrera’s outburst came amid an ejection for arguing balls and strikes.

The 33-year-old Cabrera’s in his first season with the Rangers, who signed him to a $3.5MM deal over the winter to succeed Adrian Beltre as their primary third baseman. The switch-hitting Cabrera has since batted an underwhelming .242/.322/.428 (92 wRC+) with 11 home runs in 267 plate appearances.

Rangers Sign Asdrubal Cabrera

By Jeff Todd | January 24, 2019 at 11:16am CDT

TODAY: The Rangers have officially announced the signing.

TUESDAY: The Rangers have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, pending a physical, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal promises the Octagon client $3.5MM, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter).

Initial indications are that Cabrera will primarily line up at third base in Texas. With the team’s middle-infield duo already settled, that certainly makes sense. No doubt, the chance for regular duty was a large part of the draw for the long-time big leaguer.

Cabrera, 33, has spent most of his career in the middle infield, with the lion’s share of that time coming at shortstop. He has lined up at third in recent seasons, but still only has accumulated 471 2/3 frames at the hot corner — representing less than four percent of his total action in the field at the game’s highest level.

While Cabrera has at times actually drawn improved grades on his glove at short in recent years, particularly in the eyes of UZR, his range has long represented a major demerit. Since he’s otherwise a surehanded fielder, and clearly has the arm to work on the left side of the infield, suggests that third base represents a sensible position.

Of course, the calling card for Cabrera remains his bat. He has actually turned things up over the past three years, posting a cumulative .274/.334/.456 slash in that span that’s reflective of his best earlier-career campaigns. The switch-hitter hits for a high average, delivers a fair bit of pop (23 home runs in 2018), and has long succeeded against both right- and left-handed pitching (career .752 OPS vs. .759 OPS, respectively).

In many regards, this seems to be a bit of a bargain rate for a solid veteran who has delivered so much offense in recent seasons. Though he fell just off of MLBTR’s list of the top fifty free agents, receiving honorable mention consideration, Cabrera is younger than Jed Lowrie (who signed for two years and $20MM) and easily outperformed Brian Dozier (one year, $9MM) at the plate last year.

Trouble was, this year’s market (including free agents and trade candidates) was loaded with players who could handle second and/or third base. Among them, Marwin Gonzalez, Mike Moustakas, Josh Harrison, Derek Dietrich, Neil Walker, Logan Forsythe, and others remain available on the open market (in addition, of course, to superstar Manny Machado). As it turns out, Cabrera will land just shy of Ian Kinsler in total guarantee, though he’ll avoid handing over control of another season via club option.

With the move, the Rangers will fill the void created when they traded Jurickson Profar earlier in the offseason. Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor will remain entrenched at shortstop and second base, respectively, though it surely doesn’t hurt that Cabrera could step in at either position if a need arises. Slugger Joey Gallo will presumably range the outfield, though he’s also an option at third base if there’s a need.

In conjunction with some other veteran additions — veteran backstop Jeff Mathis, three starters (Lance Lynn, Drew Smyly, Shelby Miller), and reliever Jesse Chavez — the Rangers have certainly shored up their roster. Among those acquisitions, only Mathis and Lynn required multiple years, and none of the salaries represents a major outlay for an organization that has a history of significant payrolls and is readying for a new stadium boost.

All in all, there’s greater upside on hand than you might have expected, particularly if a few key young players can make strides. Still, it’s tough to see this group making a strong run in a top-heavy American League. Maintaining a reasonably competitive product won’t allow the Rangers to pocket cost-savings and draft picks to the extent they might have otherwise, but it should help boost revenue and fan interest in the near-term. It’ll be interesting to see how the roster reloading effort shakes out in Texas.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Phillies Acquire Asdrubal Cabrera

By Jeff Todd | July 27, 2018 at 4:47pm CDT

The Phillies have officially agreed to acquire infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the Mets, as first reported by Andy Martino of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Righty Franklyn Kilome is heading to New York in return, as Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter).

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the Phils decide to utilize Cabrera. The veteran has mostly played second base this year, grading quite poorly in the field, but that’s not likely where he’ll play in Philadelphia. It seems possible that Cabrera will slot in mostly at third base and shortstop. He played the latter position for much of his career and split his time between all three of those infield spots in 2017.

Having tried and failed to land Manny Machado, the Phillies seem to have settled on a strategy of mixing and matching on the left side of the infield. To this point, they have primarily utilized Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery, but the rehabbing J.P. Crawford will also ultimately factor in again as well. The current roster also includes infield reserves Jesmuel Valentin and Trevor Plouffe, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of those players moved off the active roster to make way for Cabrera.

Regardless of what patch of dirt Cabrera occupies, it is clear that the Phils will gladly put his bat in the lineup. Though Franco has turned it on of late, Kingery and Crawford have produced little offensively. As for Cabrera, he has been a solid offensive performer throughout his dozen seasons in the majors. But he has never been better than in New York. Since inking a two-year deal with an option (picked up last winter), Cabrera carries a .279/.339/.464 slash with 55 home runs.

The switch-hitting Cabrera destroyed opposing righties in 2018, posting a .285/.345/.535 slash. He hasn’t been as productive when facing southpaws this year, but had greater success against them in the prior campaign. For his career, Cabrera has very neutral splits, so there’s good reason to think he can succeed regardless of which side of the box he’s in.

For the Mets, there was no reason not to cash in the last two months of control over Cabrera, who’s earning a manageable $8.25MM salary this year. The New York organization is well out of the postseason hunt and had already begun moving expiring contracts for the second-straight summer.

In exchange for Cabrera, the Mets will add an intriguing hurler who still needs to iron some things out to make an impact in the big leagues. Kilome’s raw arsenal is impressive, led by an upper-nineties heater, and he’s said to be regarded as a hard worker. Even while ranking Kilome the tenth-best prospect in the Phillies system, though, MLB.com noted that “his command has been inconsistent.”

Thus far in 2018, the 23-year-old owns a 4.24 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 over 102 Double-A innings. Perhaps he’s not far from being ready for an opportunity in a major-league pen, but it seems doubtful he’ll receive a shot in the rotation until he has completed some further development. Kilome is already on the 40-man roster, which will increase the pressures to make him of use at the MLB level.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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