Indians Sign Orlando Cabrera

[Elite]

2:38pm: Cabrera will compete for the second base job and is on a Major League contract, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Indians are keeping Asdrubal Cabrera at short and challenging their new acquisition to learn a new position.

1:05pm: The Indians agreed to sign Orlando Cabrera, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). The 36-year-old Colombian will presumably play short for the Tribe, who used Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Donald and Luis Valbuena at the position last year and have since added Adam Everett.

Cabrera has 33 games of big league experience at second base, but has spent most of his 14-year career at shortstop. Last year, Cabrera hit .263/.303/.354 in 537 plate appearances for Ohio's other team, the Reds. Cincinnati did not offer the Type B free agent arbitration after the season, so they don't get a compensation pick for their loss.

If Cabrera signed a Major League deal, it will be just the second one the Indians have completed under new GM Chris Antonetti, as MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows. The team brought Austin Kearns back to Cleveland earlier in the offseason.

MLBTR

 

[elcheato]

Whatever I guess, would rather have Jason Kipnis called up and start but maybe he's not ready.

 

[The Guid]

He's probably on a minor league deal, can't hurt.