The former villain from the fight with the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado is signed by the Mets.
The New York Mets were being hit by pitches at a ridiculous rate in the early going of the 2022 season. The straw that broke the camel’s back seemed to be when St. Louis Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera hit J.D. Davis with a fastball.
In what seemed to be retaliation, Mets reliever Yoan Lopez threw a fastball up and into Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado, and
that led to the benches being cleared and a full-on fight breaking out. Due to their involvement in the altercation, Arenado and Cabrera were both suspended.
After more than two years, things are starting to change. Arenado is up for trade, Cabrera signed a minor league contract to join the team he fought with, and Lopez hasn’t thrown an MLB pitch since the 2022 season.
It’s difficult to blame the Mets for their belief that this deal won’t cause too much awkwardness. Davis was moved in 2022, Lopez is long gone, and even Pete Alonso, a crucial player in the altercation, may leave in free agency.
Putting the brawl aside, David Stearns and company made a great move. In order to provide much-needed bullpen depth, the Mets signed Cabrera, a six-year veteran who had some successful years with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cardinals.
The southpaw had a difficult season last year; even though he pitched out of the bullpen for Toronto and had a 3.59 ERA, he had a 5.13 FIP and a 1.468 WHIP. In 2024, Cabrera’s strikeout percentage fell from 24.3 percent in 2023 to 18.5 percent. He seemed to be more lucky than excellent, as seen by his inflated FIP and 4.38 xERA, which is why he chose the contract he did.
Nevertheless, Cabrera is a hard-thrower who has previously been a successful reliever despite his poor season. Cabrera appears to have a good chance of making the Mets’ Opening Day roster because the team currently lacks a reliable left-handed reliever in their bullpen. At minimum, he ought to merit the chance to contend for a position with fellow southpaw Danny Young.
There is no risk because this is a minor league contract, but there is also a possibility for a very substantial payoff, as we seen with Jose Iglesias this past season. The trade is even the more intriguing because of Cabrera’s past with New York. The trade is made much better by Cabrera’s past relationship with Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees.
