CLEVELAND _ The Indians have signed Melky Cabrera to a minor-league deal, pending a physical, adding to the outfield depth within the organization.
The deal, first reported by Hector Gomez of Z 101 and Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, has not yet been confirmed by the club. According to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, Cabrera's deal would be for $1 million if he's in the majors, plus another $1 million in incentives and include an out clause, if he passes his physical.
Last season, Cabrera, 33, hit .285 with a .746 OPS for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, not far from his career averages of .286 and .753 in 13 years in the big leagues. Defensively, he accrued -10 defensive runs saved in both left field and right field. Only Denard Span of the San Francisco Giants had fewer defensive runs saved with -27 among qualified outfielders in 2017, according to FanGraphs.
The switch-hitting Cabrera offers the Indians a low-risk option to potentially boost the offensive profile of an outfield group that has struggled to stay healthy over the past season-plus and hasn't offered much production outside of Michael Brantley this season. Rajai Davis adds a speed element to the lineup but has hit just .194 with a .523 OPS. Brandon Guyer, who has been dealing with the effects from offseason wrist surgery, has hit just .129 with a .382 OPS in 31 at-bats. After those two, the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster who isn't a left-hander is switch-hitter Greg Allen. In need of some offensive production and to balance a left-handed-heavy lineup, Cabrera gives the Indians another candidate to fill those needs.
