#Orioles are very close to a finalizing a one-year deal with IF Everth Cabrera, according to an industry source. Has 99 steals last 3 yrs.
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) February 18, 2015
The Padres cut bait on him with a non-tender after he batted just .232/.272/.300 in 391 plate appearances in 2014. Given that he made $2.45 million as a first-year arbitration eligible player, they wisely didn’t want to pay $3 million or $4 million to see if he might bounce back. And that’d before you get into his legal problems, his being wound up in the Biogenesis thing and everything else.
But, on a cheap deal on the eve of spring training? Well, that’s a pretty low-dollar, low-risk kind of move for a 28-year-old middle infielder who has shown flashes of production in the past. It would’ve been bad for the Padres to keep him, but it’s a pretty savvy pickup for the Orioles.