Melky

Cabrera

Cabrera, 37, played in winter ball each of the last two seasons but last appeared in the majors in 2019. He finishes a nice 15-year career just shy of 2,000 hits with 1,962, and he produced a .285/.334/.417 batting line with 144 home runs. Cabrera played for eight different teams, winning a World Series in 2009 with the Yankees and making the All-Star team in 2012 with the Giants.

Cabrera signed a minor league contract with New York in late June but apparently didn’t show well during summer camp workouts. It’s notable that this move comes less than an hour after it was announced that the Mets had brought back outfielder Juan Lagares, who was released by the Padres in mid-July.

The Mets aren’t exactly hurting for first base options, but expanding Cabrera’s versatility could help his chances of justifying a roster spot. The 35-year-old has exclusively appeared as an outfielder during his 15-year major league career.

The Mets are busy “Remembering Some Guys” today. Cabrera, 35, batted .280/.313/.399 with seven home runs over 397 plate appearances for the Pirates last season and wasn’t in spring training with a team this spring. He’s still capable of hitting for average, but otherwise doesn’t offer much upside. Still, the Mets are going all-in on roster depth today, so there are certainly worse options.

Double-A is where Cabrera has belonged all along, and the Yankees can use the excuse that Trenton has a better chance of going to the playoffs than Columbus.

The 35-year-old Cabrera batted .280/.313/.399 with seven home runs across 397 plate appearances for the Pirates last season. Cabrera will undoubtedly have to settle for a minor league contract for the third winter in a row, but he’s still capable of being an adequate extra outfielder.

It’s the first time that Marte has been out of the lineup for the Pirates since June 16. The star outfielder gets a night of rest and Bryan Reynolds will get the start in center with Melky Cabrera and Jose Osuna starting in the corners.

Cabrera golfed a three-run dinger to right field off Rockies’ starter Antonio Senzatela in the fifth inning. It was his first round-tripper since July 6 and also snapped a 37-game homerless drought. The 35-year-old veteran doesn’t offer a ton of over-the-fence pop, but offers some fantasy appeal in deeper mixed leagues and NL-Only formats. He’s hitting .279/.312/.405 with 39 runs scored, seven home runs, 42 RBI and two stolen bases in 350 plate appearances this season.

Cabrera is still playing quite a bit for the Pirates, even though he’s hitting just .186 with no homers and one walk in 86 at-bats since the All-Star break. It’s past time for them to try someone else, given that Cabrera is 35 and shouldn’t have any future with the team.

Cabrera delivered an RBI single with two outs in the opening frame. He also singled and scored a run in the ninth inning. The 35-year-old veteran outfielder isn’t a fantasy superstar, but he’s consistently underrated simply because he isn’t flashy and doesn’t possess a ton of over-the-fence power. He owns a .289/.321/.418 triple-slash line with 36 runs scored, six home runs, 39 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 319 plate appearances this season. He’s worthy of a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues.