MLB Trade Rumors: 5 Reasons Melky Cabrera Is Great Fit for the Phillies

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As the trade deadline looms ahead, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking for possible trade options. 

According to MLB Trade Rumors, The Royals' Melky Cabrera seems to be a possible option. His 2011 season stats are a .295 BA, 11 HR and 52 RBI.

Here are five reasons why Cabrera would be a great choice for the Phillies.

Injuries

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The idea of injuries brings up two good points.

First of all, Melky Cabrera doesn't often have injuries. The Phillies have had a lot of problems with injuries in the past years, and Cabrera's health could help a lot.

Secondly, Shane Victorino is injured a lot. Because the Phillies have Domonic Brown and John Mayberry to fill in for right field, Cabrera can play in center field if Victorino is out.

Fielding

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Melky Cabrera is not only a decent hitter, but a great fielder as well. In his career he has played center field the most. At that position he has a .989 career fielding percentage and a 2011 fielding percentage of .990.

Cabrera's zone rating—which accounts for the amount of balls fielded out of the fielder's supposed defensive zone—of 10.480 is the third highest in the MLB, behind only Shane Victorino and Matt Kemp.

Flexibility

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One of Melky Cabrera's main qualities is his flexibility on both offense and defense.

On offense Cabrera is a switch hitter. This is very important, especially because the Phillies have had a lot of talk about their lineup not having enough right-handed hitters.

This makes Cabrera the perfect fit.

On defense, Cabrera is also flexible. He has shown he can play right, center and left field.

Cabrera's flexibility is one of the main reasons he is such a great option. 

Youth

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Melky Cabrera is very young. At 26, he is nearing his prime. If he stays with the Phillies, he can potentially be great for a long time.

Experience

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Not only does Melky Cabrera have postseason experience with the Yankees in 2006, 2007 and 2009 and with the Braves in 2010, but he also has something else that is valuable.

The Phillies are the NL favorites—the Yankees and Red Sox are the AL's.

Cabrera played with the Yankees for five years. He knows the team well, and this could be helpful if the two meet in the World Series. With the Yankees, Cabrera played the Red Sox a lot—he has a .319 career batting average against them.

With Cabrera having so much experience/success with/against those two teams, he could be very valuable in the playoffs.

Postseason experience is also very important—especially because Cabrera is so young.

Cons

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Melky Cabrera has many pros. He is good at many things. So what is he bad at? What are his cons?

One is that while he has had experience in the postseason, Cabrera hasn't had much success. His career postseason batting average is .213.

Secondly, if Cabrera does come to the Phillies, the chemistry may be at risk. The remaining outfielders will feel themselves as more expendable. Domonic Brown, John Mayberry, and Ben Francisco will all be displaced this year.

Lastly, Cabrera's hitting this year is good, but his overall career batting average is .271. He is an inconsistent hitter, and may be unpredictable at the plate.

Is Melky Cabrera Good for the Philadelphia Phillies?

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Is Cabrera the Phillies best option? I think so.

He may have a few downsides, but he has a low contract, is a great player, and I think he can help the team a lot.

Please comment below and tell me your opinion on the matter.