A's sign Orlando Cabrera

March 2, 7:02 PMMLB ExaminerAlex Brown

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The Oakland Athletics have signed free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera to a one-year, $4M deal.  The A’s have been linked to Cabrera all offseason – the only determining factor seemed to be price, and it looks like Cabrera backed off considerably on that front.  Cabrera will become the starting shortstop in Oakland, leaving Bobby Crosby as a backup infielder making more than the starter (he makes $5.5M).  His spot on the team could be squeezed out by Nomar Garciaparra, whom the A’s are also pursuing.

Cabrera’s offseason has been typical of fellow Type A free agents Orlando Hudson and Juan Cruz – teams have been scared to sign them to expensive deals because of the fact that a supplemental draft pick must be sent to the player’s previous team (the White Sox will receive a 2nd round pick from Oakland).  These guys have only recently started signing because their prices have dropped far enough to make it worth losing the pick. 

While certainly not worth the $8M per year he was originally asking for, Cabrera is a nice player and makes the Oakland lineup better.  He will hit second and provide good speed and contact hitting in front of sluggers like Matt Holliday and Jack Cust.  He doesn’t give you a great on-base percentage (a much coveted trait in Oakland hitters), but he won’t kill you in that category either.  He’s bounced around a bit in the majors, perhaps due to attitude problems that were publicized last season while Cabrera was with the White Sox.  I’m not sure how much of a factor this really is – Cabrera’s been on a World Series winner (Boston in 2004) and numerous playoff teams with the Angels and White Sox recently.  What to do with Crosby?  Well, the A's would like to deal him, but as I mentioned above he has a large salary.  Perhaps he could become this years' Mark Ellis/Eric Chavez insurance - always a necessity for the A's.

This is a good move for Oakland, who seems to be assembling a pretty nice team.  Their lineup has good potential from top to bottom, and the bullpen looks pretty solid as well.  Their rotation is still a bit of a question mark, but they may be able to acquire help later on in the season.  Overall I see this as a very good move to get a very solid shortstop at a bargain price.