MLB New York Mets

Asdrubal Cabrera Is Perfect Fit With New York Mets

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The New York Mets have an incredibly talented, young pitching staff ready to take on the NL in 2015. However, the team’s offense is hopelessly inadequate at best and in need of a huge influx of talent. Unfortunately, the days of the Mets spending $140 million in payroll per season are as long gone as is former GM Omar Minaya, and some of the additions they’re going to make will have to be thrifty bargains.

Enter shortstop and former All-Star Asdrubal Cabrera.

Ruben Tejada seems like a hardworking fella who really wants to be good at hitting a baseball with a bat, but sadly, he just is not. He plays a mean shortstop, but he’s no Rey Ordonez. With all due respect to Ordonez, even he wouldn’t be a good fit with this Mets team as currently constructed. The Mets’ lineup is simply thirsty for offense that neither Tejada, nor an Ordonez in his prime could provide.

Meanwhile, prospect Wilmer Flores simply appears to be a defensive liability at the position. Flores is likely better suited to play second base in MLB despite developing in the minors as a SS.

While Cabrera is no Cal Ripken Jr. at the plate, he is undoubtedly an upgrade over Tejada. Between his time with the Cleveland Indians for most of the 2014 campaign and his brief tenure with the Washington Nationals, Cabrera hit a subpar .241 but added 14 HRs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Cabrera hit 31 doubles and four triples which, when added to those aforementioned 14 HRs, adds up to 49 extra-base hits, which is more than adequate for a shortstop.

While GM Sandy Alderson typically balks at adding players with low on-base percentages (.307 in 2014) Cabrera’s career average OBP is acceptable at .330, and he typically trends closer to that than not. He also has the ability to steal up to 20 bases per season if necessary, which Tejada cannot do. While he is not going to hit 25 HRs for the Mets like he did in 2011 with the Indians, he is only 28 years old and is entering the prime of his career with a ton of experience, having been in the majors since 2007.

This move should be a must for the Mets, particularly if it’s the second-biggest addition they make this offseason after landing an outfielder such as Nelson Cruz or Michael Cuddyer. The Mets must not hesitate in their attempts to woo Cabrera to Flushing. Whichever team misses out on free agent SS Hanley Ramirez could easily swoop in for Cabrera as a fallback plan and make negotiations difficult for New York.

It’s probably going to cost more than the pauper Alderson/Wilpon administration is willing to spend, but this group needs to understand that they need to improve this offense at any cost over the winter. Cabrera made $10 million in 2014, and one must ponder that something similar annually with a few years attached to it could get the job done.

Three years for $30 million would be ideal, but if it means going to a fourth year to cement a player who is a huge upgrade offensively from the incumbent, I firmly believe this is a no-brainer. There is simply no abundance of offensive talent in this 2015 free agent class, and with most of the Mets’ hitting prospects still needing a year or two to make it up to the show, the franchise cannot afford to be frugal and flounder offensively.

The Mets’ pitching staff is talented enough to bring this team to the playoffs with even an average offense along for the ride.

Timothy Downs is a fantasy sports writer for www.RantSports.com. You can ‘like him’ on Facebook add him on Google or follow him on Twitter @Tidow1212.

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