Among a slew of signings announced by the New York Mets on Monday, Melky Cabrera was added to the player pool for the abbreviated 2020 season.
Cabrera is among a batch of veterans who were added to the list for this year and with a universal DH in place, it makes sense to have Cabrera as a potential extra option in the lineup.
Melky played last year in Pittsburgh and had a .280/.313/.399 slash line in 133 games. His offensive WAR was slightly above average at 0.3. Though he played corner outfield last year, it would be surprising with a DH option in place this year to see Cabrera in the field at any point.
According to Baseball Savant, Cabrera’s sprint speed was tied for third slowest among all listed right fielders in 2019.
Cabrera has also bounced around the league a lot since his early pro days as a Yankee where he was part of their 2009 World Series team. Melky has played for seven different teams in the last 10 years.
The 35-year old has put together a fairly productive career in total. More of a doubles hitter, Melky had a stretch of four straight seasons with 30 or more doubles from 2014-17. Though his best days at the plate are behind him, Cabrera can still potentially offer another viable option at the plate as a switch hitter.
Cabrera joins Hunter Strickland, Gordon Beckham, Erasmo Ramirez, and Ryan Cordell who have all been announced as of midday as the player pool continues to expand.
