Melky Cabrera is on track to hit free agency following the 2012 season, but there’s a chance the Giants will keep him off of the open market altogether. GM Brian Sabean told Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle that Cabrera’s play and work ethic have impressed him so far this year. This means the Giants won’t necessarily postpone contract talks until the offseason.
"I think it's different with a transitional player, depending on who the agent is or the appetite of the player,” Sabean said. “So I wouldn't say that's an absolute."
Cabrera, an ACES client, will earn $6MM in 2012. The 27-year-old is hitting .338/.386/.490 in San Francisco, an indication that last year's breakout may be sustainable. So far in 2012 Cabrera has played left and right field, positions which suit his skillset, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III.
Cabrera’s hot start should give him enough leverage to demand a multiyear deal in talks with Sabean and the team's front office. The Giants could lose Cabrera and Angel Pagan to free agency this offseason, as I explained last week.
” Cabrera’s hot start should give him enough leverage to demand a multiyear deal in talks with Sabean and the team’s front office.”
Very dangerous man to give out a long term contract to. this guy has had 2 decent years and 3 poor ones with a poor season sandwiching his 2 decent ones.
Sabean let Ross walk when he could have probably gotten him for a couple years and 6-8m total if he approached him later on in the winter and Cabrera is going to think he wants 2x that much for each season and?? many years?
Pass on Cabrera.. Too much of a wild card with his performing, or being a liability and for 10-12m a year.. Not worth the roll of the dice.
Cody wanted 3 yrs! No way you give that to him.
Early in the off season Ross was wanting 6-8m AAV and 3 years. Later on, when there was little interest and he saw that Boston (for instance) was only offering up 3m/1year i imagine 2 years and 6- been more than fine was how my post read.
Cabrera is a huge risk on a multi year deal and think Sabean is going out on a limb again with another Rowland type sign and player here, as well as big of a waste of money.
If not Melky, then who?
Not a ton of ’13 FAs playing at this level. And the Giant’s farm is pretty much devoid of corner OFs. And Melky can play center as well.
It’s whether or not they want to take a chance on throwing away another 45m, like they did on Rowand.
Not that Cabrera is worse, or would be than rowand or that Sabean didn’t learn his lesson giving out 4 year deals to players of the Cabrera/rowand caliber, but think you get the point..
Neither has a decent track record even close to deserving anywhere near 8-10m a year, much less 3 years and have a feeling Melky is going to be looking for 3 at the least.
Sabean might be best served looking for a replacement via trade, even a bounceback year from someone. David Dejesus is someone like Cabrera who has off and on years with the Cubs and is signed for next season for 4.2m, with an option for 2014 at 1.5m.. He could probably be had for fairly reasonable (IE: cheap) with him having an off year and maybe even get Epstein to pay part of his salary, then not have to be on the hook for 35m++ gamble with Cabrera.
Sure his defense isn’t as good and he is a corner OF only, but you got by with someone with the same offensive track record and saved at least 30m in the long run.
Watching Cabrera and Rowand hit is night and day. Cabrera has a great short swing with very little room for mechanical error, not some dumb gimmick like Rowand.
multi year as in 2/3 years. no way we give him 4 or more
I highly doubt the annual figure they would be looking at is in the $10-12MM range. Remember that Cabrera came up when he was very young and there is a chance that his increase in performance is corresponding with his peak years. He won’t even be 28 until August. He’s definitely a tough case, but as a Giants fan, I have been pleasantly surprised with his skills, given all of the vitriol that has been spewed about him in recent years. Great contact ability, fantastic arm, decent range and power that has been consistent since the outset of 2011. I think that the power is the key to the potential contract and if that power remains throughout 2012, who’s to say that it isn’t a real skill going forward?
Cabrera back to the Yankees next year is a pretty good bet. He will play left with Grandy and Swisher in RF. He will bat 2nd behind Jeter and collect 200 hits. Gardner will be the 4th outfielder, or trade bait.
Swisher might not be back. And there is absolutely no way Gardner is their 4th OFer OR trade bait.
Gardner to me is someone they cannot afford to sit. his speed is something they absolutely must have and even if they didn’t, would be a most valuable trade chip.
You don’t just sit down someone like Gardner as a 4th OF, unless can make sure he can get 400+PA. This is a guy as valuable (or would be) as Crisp was in Boston and can’t afford to be wasted on the bench all the time.
Also can’t sit out his defense. Yes i know many defensive players play on the bench due to a sub par bat, but Gardner despite a low average is very good at the plate (.355 Career OBP) and of course as you mentioned, his speed is great.
Gardner is pretty much the perfect leadoff hitter: Gets on base a lot, more speed than he knows what to do with. Why he isn’t batting leadoff is beyond me.
Gardner is the better player, regardless of Melky’s hot streak. I don’t see the Yankees bringing Melky back, unless it’s for smaller money than he’s going to be able to command. Melky isn’t bad, but he had five full years of play where his OPS+ was less than 100, and one and 1/5 years where it’s been above. Which one is the real Melky?
Probably because Derek Jeter is a very good leadoff hitter and Brett Gardner isn’t
Leading off game in 2011
Jeter – .352/.406/.443
Gardner – .167/.298/.229
And leading off any inning in 2011 (this includes the 1st)
Jeter – .330/.381/.430
Gardner – .278/.360/.380 (slugging percentage is odd
Jeter is also very poor with RISP and obviously the only batter of the game that’s guaranteed not to hit with a RISP is the first batter of the game (although this is probably not why Jeter is leading off)
The reason Gardner doesn’t lead off though, is because Jeter is much better
not a fair knock on gardner. he’s good hitting leadoff; jeter’s just better
the shortcut to the numbers you’re looking at is tOPS. gardner’s is 109 for his short career; jeter’s is 115. both are good
gardner is a hell of a guy to have tucked into the back of your lineup, though. he works pitchers and is much likelier to steal a base when he reaches, which makes it sensible to hit him in front of weaker batters
If I were the Sox, I would let Ortiz and Youkilis walk. That frees up over 30 million if you include Jenks 6 mil. But, letting high priced players walk doesnt mean they will sink the savings back into the team,with last offseason as proof.
While I do like a good tangent… what does that have to do with the Giants or Cabrera?
Wrong section I think.
When we first made the trade, I thought it was “addition by subtraction” since we unloaded Sanchez. I was hoping Melky could replicate last season. So far he has more than exceeded my hopes. He has been brilliant at the plate and has an absolute cannon in OF.
Hopefully we can get him at a 3 yr 20-24mill range.
Don’t know if that will do since a couple of the big market clubs could use outfield help and they will only inflate the market.
More like 3 years, $30-36, minimum. Might take 4 years to keep him off the market.
NYP is right. Too much demand. And Melky is playing a make-good year and making good. (Think Beltre in ’10)
possibilities are endless.. but I would say that we need more than 6 weeks to determine his full worth. And I would think he would want to wait as well, as a continued successful 2012 will only increase his value. maybe start talking to his agent around July/August, and if he’s still anywhere near as solid as he has been so far, then it might be time to think long term.
You can tell who the Giants fans are because they say when “we” made the trade.
I’d go ahead and say that 75% of the fans for any team say “we,” it’s not a major revelation.
Your Screenname is fitting for your post!
Extending Melky Cabrera? Right after a career year? Classic Brian Sabean.
We’re a little further along than “right after” a career year.
I can’t believe he’s the same player who tried to eat his way out of Atlanta. What the hell happened?
Sabean is the first SF GM to win a World Championshio. He is the best GM is SF history.
Last year was meaningless?
A couple of 4th outfielders from New York.
Yankee fan here. What Melky is going is not really surprising to me at all. He made it to the big leagues at 21 and through his age 23 season had been playing mostly every day and put up a .268/.331/.376 line. Outside of the SLG, that’s pretty decent for a guy with a big time arm.
His strikeouts were never excessive and yeah, okay, he didn’t walk a ton but he did average 43 walks a year with NYY. You look at his homer totals when he was with NYY and it’s 7, 8, 8, and 13. It’s not like he was hitting 2 HR a year.
Giants should let him walk. I need an OF.
– N. Colletti