Washington Nationals are bringing back Asdrubal Cabrera

Two days and two signings as the Washington Nationals provide themselves with a Plan B in case third baseman Josh Donaldson signs elsewhere this offseason.

Despite reportedly being in the running for signing star free agent third baseman, Josh Donaldson, the Washington Nationals have now made two signings that could perhaps contradict such a blockbuster signing. On Friday, shortstop/third baseman Starlin Castro agreed to a two-year deal with the Nationals, and now today infielder Asdrubal Cabrera a one-year, $2.5 million deal, giving Washington a bit of a safety net in the event the former World Series winners cannot reach a deal with Donaldson.

Cabrera, 34-years-old, had a busy year in 2019, signing with the Texas Rangers last January and spending 93 games back in the American League (where his career started with the Indians). With the Rangers, Cabrera hit a middling .235 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI, serving mostly as a veteran leader on a young rebuilding club.

However, in August of this past season, Cabrera hooked up with the Nationals and played his final 38 games there, where he slashed a solid .323/.404/.565 with 6 homers and 10 doubles, providing the champs with, at times, exceptional play with both the bat and glove:

During the postseason, Cabrera’s play certainly took a dive (at least on offense), as the veteran hit for just a .233 AVG and .517 OPS in 30 playoff at-bats, though he did provide a big two-out hit in the 7th inning of Game 2 of the World Series, slapping a bases-loaded single to extend Washington’s late-game lead. Cabrera may be past his prime in terms of big numbers, but the Venezuelan still has the ability to come away with the clutch hit, and teams remember players that get those hits in crucial games.

Overall, Cabrera posted one of the best defensive seasons of his career in 2019 (6.9 Def) while accruing 1.9 fWAR in 131 games between the two teams. His final numbers were more or less around his career average, except for a much improved walk-rate (11.1%) that allowed him to get on base at a much better clip than in 2018 (.342 OBP in ’19, compared to a .316 mark the previous season):

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Cabrera’s 2019 stats

131 games, .260/.342/.441, 18 HR, 25 doubles, 91 RBI, 4 SB

As a 13-year veteran, Cabrera should help fortify a young Nationals’ infield in 2020, as along with Castro, Cabrera comes with plenty of experience at several positions. And with Washington losing star Anthony Rendon to free agency this offseason, the team was a bit thin on infield depth, not to mention someone to play everyday at the hot corner.

Cabrera was above-average at both second base and third base this past season, posting a 1.5 UZR at the former (248 innings) and a 3.4 mark at the latter (812 innings), while also providing above-average defense (1.2 UZR) at shortstop during the 2018 season with the Phillies, totaling 204.1 innings at the position. Cabrera can also play some first base, a position he played sparingly in 2019, though still a spot he performed well at (0.4 UZR).

While adding Cabrera and Castro appear to move the Nationals out of the Josh Donaldson sweepstakes, Washington could still sign the 34-year-old former MVP this offseason. It seems understandable that the Nationals felt they needed a backup plan in case the team wasn’t able to acquire Donaldson, hence the signing of these two veteran players on low-cost deals.

As a perfect scenario, the Washington Nationals could still add Donaldson, allowing the team to use guys like Cabrera, Castro, Howie Kendrick or Carter Kieboom as backup options, instantly improving the depth of Washington’s infield, which was a definite weakness entering the current offseason.