Free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera has found a new home, agreeing to terms with the Chicago White Sox on a three-year contract, per Bruce Levine of WSCR-AM in Chicago, worth an estimated $42-43.5 million per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Melky Cabrera, White Sox reportedly agree to 3-year deal
The White Sox will be Cabrera’s six different team in the last seven years.
The deal, which hasn’t yet been announced by the team, is pending a physical.
Cabrera, 30, hit .301/.351/.458, a 126 OPS+, with 16 home runs, 35 doubles, 81 runs scored and 73 RBI in 139 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, in the final season of a two-year, $16 million contract he signed after 2012.
White Sox left fielders hit .225/.297/.344 in 2014, 12th among 15 American League teams in OPS (.641), on-base percentage and home runs (11), 13th in batting average and 11th in doubles (26) and slugging percentage.
The signing of Cabrera continues a busy offseason for the White Sox, who so far have signed first baseman Adam LaRoche and relief pitchers David Robertson and Zach Duke, and traded for starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija.
Going for it in Chicago
Cabrera turned down a qualifying offer of one year, $15.3 million from Toronto in November, meaning the Blue Jays get a compensatory pick for losing Cabrera as a free agent. The White Sox pick eighth overall in the first round, a protected selection for having one of the 10 worst record in 2014; Chicago will instead forfeit its second- and third-round picks for signing Robertson and Cabrera.
Late Saturday night, Cabrera retweeted a welcome tweet by center fielder Adam Eaton:
The Melk Man!!! Welcome fella!! @TheMelkman53 #NewTeammates #SouthSide
— Adam Eaton (@AdamSpankyEaton) December 14, 2014
Chicago will be Cabrera's sixth different team in seven years, a span that included a 50-game suspension for testing positive for testosterone in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants. After hitting a career-high .346/.390/.516 in 2012, Cabrera responded by hitting .293/.340/.421 in two years with Toronto, though he averaged just 114 games per season.
Cabrera hit the disabled list twice with left knee injuries in 2013, then saw his season end with surgery in September to remove a benign tumor from his lower spine. Cabrera played in 139 of the first 140 games in 2014 but suffered a broken right finger on Sept. 5 that ended his season.
In parts of 10 seasons, Cabrera has hit .286/.339/.415 with 236 doubles and 88 home runs in 1,211 career games.
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