The New York Mets asked Asdrubal Cabrera to shift to third base earlier this season, and he refused, feeling that a move to the hot corner would hurt his leverage in free agency this winter. Cabrera countered by offering to move to third if the Mets picked up his 2018 option, which General Manager Sandy Alderson wasn’t having. The Mets ended up bumping Cabrera to second base upon his return, which led the disgruntled shortstop to air his grievances to the media, including a trade request. That request has since been rescinded, but Cabrera appears to have finally realized that building defensive versatility could be good for him.
Cabrera has gone to the team and expressed a willingness to move to third now, Newsday’s Marc Carig reports. The team will have Cabrera start taking grounders at third this week with an eye towards getting him into games at third in the next week or so. The move would be a short term fix for the Mets, who could put Cabrera at third if Neil Walker is able to come off the disabled list next week, but potentially a bigger long term boon to Cabrera. There aren’t many teams in need of a shortstop or second baseman right now, but Cabrera could be a fit for the Boston Red Sox, who are looking for a third baseman to replace recently released Pablo Sandoval. Cabrera is one of the best offensive options out there, posting a .743 OPS in 69 games, and could help stabilize that position for Boston.
The Mets clearly want to move on from Cabrera, whose discontent is reportedly holding the team back from letting top prospect Amed Rosario make his big league debut. Cabrera is now willing to play ball, and if he looks capable at third the Mets may be able to grant his wish and find Cabrera a new home.
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