Curious Case of (O) Cabrera

INDIANAPOLIS – He’s equal parts enigma and champion.

Up to this point, his career has been a success.  It’s also been a bit confusing.

Welcome to the strange world and the curious baseball life of Colombian shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

Cabrera, a member of the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox, a perennial postseason player and two-time Gold  Glove winner, is looking for a job.

Again.

“Why he doesn’t he have a job? Well, that’s something you have to ask all of his other managers,”  said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, Cabrera’s manager in 2007. “That’s something a lot of people ask  and I don’t have the answer. I think Orlando, when he played for me, he played great. We had a little argument at times but we faced it. He will find a job because this guy is a winner. “

Last season, Cabrera a signed with the A’s to start the season and was traded to Minnesota at the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline for  shortstop Tyler Ladendorf. With Cabrera at shortstop, the Twins went on to qualify for the playoffs, marking the fifth time in the last six years that Cabrera appeared in the postseason.

That’s quite a postseason streak and probably where the whole “winner” moniker comes into play.

But here’s the tricky part: Cabrera played for four different teams during that six-year span and developed a reputation as an unlikely journeyman. Overall, the shortstop has played for six different teams since making his big league debut with the Expos in 1997. He played for parts of eight seasons – arguably some of the best years of his career — with Montreal before being traded to Boston at the 2004 trade deadline as part of a four-team swap that included Nomar Garciaparra. The Red Sox won the World Series that season and Cabrera, who had previously toiled in anonymity in Montreal, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

He signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Angels in 2005 but was eventually  thrust back on to the trading block when he was shipped to the White Sox along with cash considerations for Jon Garland in the winter of 2007. 

He didn’t stay in Chicago for long. On March 6, 2009, Cabrera signed a one-year deal with Oakland.

“I loved every minute of having him,” Oakland general manager Billy Beane said. ” I think one of the reasons he’s been on so many teams is that he is attractive to having and he’s been a good player. If you look at his track record, most of the teams he has played on go to the playoffs. “

“I have nothing but great things to say about him,” Beane continued. “I wish our club could have played better so we could have kept him the whole year.  He loves to play and he brings an upbeat tempo to everything he does. He’s had a great career. You can’t argue with his postseason track record.”

Cabrera’s age, not his intense personality nor his on-and-off again relationship with media,  could be his biggest obstacle at this point of his career. It doesn’t help that he led all shortstops in errors with 25. He has a career batting average of .275.

“He’s going to play at 35 this year so I think anytime you have a player that has many years, the term will probably vary,” Beane said. “He has been a highly sought after guy but anytime time a guy gets into his mid-30s, you are going to vary the length of contract but at the end of the day, I’m a big Orlando fan.”

The Twins like Cabrera, too. There’s talk he could return to Minnesota to play second base with newly acquired J.J. Hardy at shortstop. The Twins are unable to offer Cabrera arbitration because of his contract agreement with Oakland last season.

“I’m not afraid to try anything,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I like Cabby. I think he’s a winner. He’s a good player and he’s a winner. If Hardy is our shortstop and maybe we can figure out where Cabby can go, he can play at second, he can play at third.  I think he’s an offensive threat. I think he can do a lot of things. I’m not afraid to try anything.”

The ability to play second base and shortstop could make Cabrera more attractive free agent but only time – and the market — will tell.

 ”He’s a winner,” Guillen said. “Everybody is going to want him because he plays to win. He wins everywhere he goes. “

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