The Genesis of Cabrera

[metirish]

[Benjamin Grimm]

Looks like a pretty good "why not?" move to me. He just turned 28 last month. In 2024 with the Blue Jays, he had a 3.59 ERA in 69 games (62.2 innings). 50 strikeouts, but 29 walks. Throws left. I wonder why he was available? I see he's arbitration eligible. I guess Toronto non-tendered him?

[Centerfield]

He had a WHIP of 1.468. So, not great.

His career WHIP is 1.349 though, so maybe he just had a down year.

[MFS62]

It's a beginning.
Later

[whippoorwill]

Awesome name

[Benjamin Grimm]

His siblings are named Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

[Edgy MD]

<requisite_genesis_reference>The All-Book-o'-the-Bible team includes Amos Rusie, José Reyes, and Babe Ruth, but it also includes Daniel Vogelbach and Joel Youngblood, so it's kind of a tossup.</requisite_genesis_reference>

He's certainly looked good against the Mets in my memory, and I know he has post-season experience, for whatever that's worth.

[stevejrogers]

My first thought was this was about then rookie Miguel Cabrera’s output against us over two decades ago!

[MFS62]

My first thought was this was about then rookie Miguel Cabrera’s output against us over two decades ago!

I thought it was going to be about Melky.
Later

[smg58]

He's looked really good in stretches but been maddeningly inconsistent. The upside makes him worth a minor-league deal and a camp invite.

[Cowtipper]

^^ sounds like he's gearing up to be 2025's Reed Garrett.

This could actually be a great signing. He managed a 3.59 ERA, despite a 1.468 WHIP, in 2024. If he can get that WHIP down, he could be a totally awesome relief pitcher.

[batmagadanleadoff]

^^ sounds like he's gearing up to be 2025's Reed Garrett.

This could actually be a great signing.... he could be a totally awesome relief pitcher [like Reed Garrett].

Make up your mind.

[Cowtipper]

Garrett sucked.

Also, Cabrera could be a good signing if he gets that WHIP down.

[Centerfield]

He managed a 3.59 ERA, despite a 1.468 WHIP, in 2024. If he can get that WHIP down, he could be a totally awesome relief pitcher.

Upon first glance, I figured this was luck. No way a guy with a WHIP that high can have a good ERA except by dumb luck. But looking at his career stats, it seems like this is just the way he is. Over his career (272 games, 275.2 IP), he has a career ERA of 3.89, with a WHIP of 1.349. He has a high bb/9 (4.4 for his career).

Fangraphs had this to say about him in 2023:

The hard-throwing 26-year-old southpaw had spent parts of five volatile seasons with the Cardinals. While he has enjoyed a significant bat-missing rebound in 2023 compared to last season (he’s back into the 26% K% area, up from 16.5% in 2022), Cabrera was in the midst of yet another rocky, homer-prone year before he was DFA’d. He introduced an upper-80s slider/cutter to his repertoire this year and has been using it a ton (36%), while his fastball velocity has slipped a bit. All of Cabrera’s non-fastball pitches generate above-average swinging strike rates, while his mid-90s heater tends to get shelled even though he and the Cardinals made changes to it this year.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs ... s-cabrera/

He looked like he might have had things figured out right after this article was written. In 29 appearances, he pitched to a 2.66 ERA and a WHIP of 0.972. That's a decent sample size. But then went right back to a 1.468 WHIP in 2024.

That being said, he pitched to a 3.34 ERA over two years with Toronto. So far, I think he's our only lefty in the pen.

[Edgy MD]

The main lefty out of the pen right now is 2024-breakthrough-ish guy Danny Young.

Cabrera is probably the leading candidate to get a second spot, but he has some righties to beat out. They're currently lined up to carry 13 pitchers, but if they go with the maximum 14, he would be the guy.

Other lefties who are in a position to get a good look during the spring are Anthony Gose and Daniel-san Juarez.

Speaking of lefties who allowed baserunners, the late Ron Locke's one campaign of MLB action seems like a masterpiece of living dangerously, walking 4.8 batters per nine innings while striking out only 3.7 in his 41 1/3-inning stint. Somehow, he not only escaped with his life, but wove a respectable 3.48 ERA in Shea Stadium's inaugural season.