Orlando Cabrera ----> A's

by patsfan on Mar 2, 2009 11:39 AM PST Comment 27 comments

Free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera has agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Oakland Athletics, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Cabrera will replace Bobby Crosby as Oakland's starting shortstop.

Cabrera hit .281 with eight home runs and 57 RBIs for the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox last season.

He is a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, earning the honor in both leagues (2001 with the Expos and 2007 with the Angels).

Looks like another great deal for the A's, as they close the gap (is there a gap?) on the Angels.

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And they only lose a second round pick

Good for them.

by Jeff on Mar 2, 2009 11:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Well I think that this pretty much cements the A's as division favorites.

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by BrettJMiller on Mar 2, 2009 12:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

That seems optimistic to me.

There’s legit assertions that Cabrera’s defense is basically average, and not the stellar showing that ’08 UZR says, making him closer to a 2-win player.

by Matthew on Mar 2, 2009 12:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

His three year UZR ain't bad.

He probably adds a win/win and a half.

by JI on Mar 2, 2009 12:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

+/- pegs him as nearly dead average

So I would not peg him that high.

by Matthew on Mar 2, 2009 1:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think I had him hastily pegged at +6 or so

by JI on Mar 2, 2009 1:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I already saw the A's as the favorites. Was I wrong to assume that? I figure being the favorites and adding a ~2 win player pretty much cements you as the favorites

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Mar 2, 2009 6:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bold assumption

that I also agree with

by Ezzra on Mar 2, 2009 6:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Angels are still slightly better

by Graham on Mar 2, 2009 6:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He's more ~1 win

and yeah, I think it’s optimistic to have called them the favorites beforehand.

by Matthew on Mar 2, 2009 7:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He might be a 1-win upgrade, but he's pretty easily a 2-win player...

About -10 wRAA, about +20 replacement, +6-7 positional, and maybe +5 fielding adds up to a 2-win player.

by ubelmann on Mar 3, 2009 12:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Which is immaterial to discussing how much he improves Oakland.

by Matthew on Mar 3, 2009 12:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

Having a 2-win player and a 1-win player behind him is materially better than having just the 2-win player. Depth matters.

by ubelmann on Mar 3, 2009 2:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

A one win player on the bench is no longer a one win player.

by acblue on Mar 3, 2009 2:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Unless that "win" is tallied otherwise, of course :-)

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by PositivePaul on Mar 3, 2009 2:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

He's not a zero-win player, either

by ubelmann on Mar 3, 2009 3:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But a 1 win (full season) player on the bench is better than a 0 win (full season) player on the bench.

If just incrementally, even before injuries come into play.

It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray

by Faux on Mar 3, 2009 3:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

No argument on that point

but the difference between a 0 win true talent bench player and a 1 win true talent bench player isn’t going to have much effect on the team’s overall true talent level.

Although as you say, things change when an injury leads to said bench player getting significant PT.

by acblue on Mar 3, 2009 3:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Like the Rays and Willy Aybar

vivaelbeñsheets

by vivaelpujols on Mar 3, 2009 6:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Your bench player is making 5.25mil

since his playing time ~ nothing, you are basically wasting that money.

by Edgar for Pres on Mar 3, 2009 7:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Crosby's salary was already a sunk cost

Even on good teams, bench players amass significant playing time and the A’s have a lot of injury question marks. The A’s will wind up using Crosby sooner rather than later, either as an injury replacement or in a trade.

At any rate, Brett J. Miller’s initial comment that the A’s added a ~2 win player is still true. The A’s did add a ~2 win player.

by ubelmann on Mar 3, 2009 7:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

but he's replacing

Bobby Crosby, any sort of significantly above replacement level performance is a huge improvement over that.

by RollingWave on Mar 4, 2009 3:25 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not really

Crosby was worth 1 WAR last year and he projects to be about the same next year. Cabrera is still probably a 1.5 WAR upgrade over Crosby, well worth the 4 million.

vivaelbeñsheets

by vivaelpujols on Mar 4, 2009 8:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs