The Mets acquired second baseman Neil Walker from the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon for starting pitcher Jon Niese, but New York is not done collecting middle infielders.
According to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation’s MLB Daily Dish, the Mets have signed free agent Asdrubal Cabrera to a two-year contract with a club option for 2018. Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio says the deal is worth $8.25 million per year with a $2 million buyout on the option. So that’s an $18.5 million guarantee.
Cabrera posted a decent .744 OPS with 15 home runs in 143 games this past season as the Rays’ primary shortstop. He’s not a very good defender at this point in his career, but the 30-year-old will presumably play all around the infield with the Mets.
David Wright is going to need days off at third base, and Cabrera offers a significant offensive upgrade over in-house middle infielders Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores.
