Mets and SS Cabrera agree to $18.5M, 2-year deal

Flores was the best offensive shortstop for the Mets last season, but Cabrera should be equally productive in 2016, if not a mild upgrade.

Even after securing the pair of middle infielders Wednesday, Mets executives left Music City with the intention to add bullpen and outfield help, and possibly a fifth starter. NY already had Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores.

The defending National League champions New York Mets have just signed shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to a two-year deal.

Cabrera is mainly an offensive player.

They should feel good about how they came away after missing out on their No. 1 target in free agency in Zobrist. Good Plays can be both plays that are Web Gem-caliber and also things like making a turn on a double play despite being barreled into.

“[Walker] is a guy we had on our short list, but didn’t know if he would be available”, assistant general manager John Ricco said to reporters in Nashville. “That’s the goal, trying to find pieces to allow us to do that, we’ve been focused on”. As a shortstop for the Indians that year he hit.273/.332/.460 with 25 HR and 92 RBI.

The Mets had been interested in Cabrera since the start of this offseason as they wanted to increase some of their versatility in the lineup.

The Mets have interest in Denard Span and Gerardo Parra, and indications are it will take multi-year deals to land either player. The team, city, and fans deserve the absolute most out of the organization to do their part to attempt to get back to the World Series.

“We have the resources to do it, we have the money to do it”, Ricco said.

A poor defender for the majority of his career, Cabrera’s UZR last season of -6.0 was actually the best it’s been since 2010, but rated worse than Flores’ -2.5.

“I’m happy with how the meetings went”, Ricco said. Most of us at Amazin’ Avenue are thrilled with the moves that prop up one of the weakest areas of the team, but how did the rest of the media react?

The Mets have had injury problems at shortstop in the past few months.