The Tampa Bay Rays have added a middle infielder via free agency and now could trade one of their incumbents at those positions - Yunel Escobar or Ben Zobrist - to save the organization some money.
Tampa Bay reached an agreement with shortstop/second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera on Tuesday and it's pending a physical, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The 29-year-old spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Cleveland Indians before he was traded to the Washington Nationals at the deadline in 2014.
At this point it's unknown where Cabrera will play for the Rays because both middle infield positions are currently occupied with Escobar at shortstop and Zobrist at second base. Cabrera is a solid defensive glove and owns a career stat line of .268/.330/.409 with 87 home runs, 451 RBIs and 72 stolen bases.
Rosenthal also noted the Rays are "open to trading Zobrist and/or Yunel Escobar," which could shake up the team's roster. Tampa Bay acquired second baseman/shortstop Nick Franklin from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline when they sent David Price to the Tigers, so there's been speculation Zobrist could be on his way out because of his good value and high demand. Franklin has only logged 130 games in two seasons and has batted .213/.289/.358 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs.
If the Rays move both Zobrist and Escobar then Cabrera would likely play shortstop and Franklin would play second. There's been much more trade talks about Zobrist because a number of teams can use him for his defensive flexibility since he can play second base, shortstop and all over the outfield. He's owed $7.5 million for 2015 and Escobar is under contract for the next two seasons and will make $12 million (and also has a $7 million team option for 2017 or a $1 million buyout).
The team could be looking to move both of these players to reduce payroll, which was something owner Stuart Sternberg said would be a priority this season. Tampa Bay had the 20th ranked bullpen in terms of ERA last season so perhaps they look to improve that part of their roster in trading Zobrist and/or Escobar.
Tampa Bay just saved themselves some future financial commitment when they traded Wil Myers to the San Diego Padres. If it speculation heats up about the team leaving Tampa, then Sternberg will do all he can to save money before selling the team.
