Washington Nationals: the long layoff will hurt Asdrubal Cabrera

The longer we wait out the start of the baseball season the harder it will be for Washington Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to land a job in the future.

Being unable to watch baseball for fans has been excruciatingly tough, as we are missing our entertainment source. Being unable to play baseball has been tough for players, as baseball players are creatures of habit and getting out of their comfort zone is unnatural. For Washington Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera and other veterans, not having baseball affects their future livelihood.

At the end of the day baseball is a business and if the on-the-field product is no longer delivering, the prospects for securing contracts for certain players dry up. Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera finds himself in a predicament. With every day which goes by without baseball, he grows a day older and another day distances the memory of what his production looked like.

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In baseball terms, Cabrera is old as he’ll turn 35 before he signs his next contract. He has reached the point in his career where he is a bat off the bench, utility infielder who gives days off to regulars, and veteran presence in the clubhouse. There are younger-cheaper versions out there for the first two requirements.

Cabrera signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers prior to last season, but hit just .235 and was unemployed shortly after the trade deadline. The fact he wasn’t traded at the deadline means there was a sparse market for him.

He signed with the Washington Nationals and was instrumental in their resurgence to the playoffs, even taking off the starting second baseman job during the World Series.

This offseason, much like the previous, Cabrera had to wait until January to sign his contract, another indicator his skill set is no longer a priority.

Players like Cabrera need these games to showcase they can still play at a high level. As the days pass, the likelihood of them getting minor-league contracts having to prove themselves in the future, persist.

I liked the Cabrera signing in Washington this year and think he can still contribute to a winning team. His future is less certain today than it was before the shutdown, however.