Report: 13-Year Veteran Melky Cabrera, Indians Agree to Minor League Contract

Following a 2017 season that was split between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, free-agent outfielder Melky Cabrera reportedly found a new home Monday. 

Jon Morosi of MLB Network confirmed a report from Hector Gomez and noted Cabrera inked a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians.

Cabrera has largely flown under the radar since he captured his lone career All-Star nod in 2012, but he held steady at the plate during his split 2017 campaign. 

In 620 total at-bats with the White Sox and Royals, the 33-year-old slashed a cumulative .285/.324/.423 with a solid .747 OPS, 17 home runs and 85 RBI. Cabrera also did well to keep his strikeout total (74) below 80 for the second consecutive season following a 2015 campaign that featured 88 whiffs. 

If there's a concern with Cabrera, it's that he's generally a defensive liability in the corner outfield spots. Last season proved as much. 

According to FanGraphs, Cabrera finished 2017 with minus-20 defensive runs saved, which ranked 55th among qualified outfielders. Cabrera also finished 55th in UZR among that same group with a final tally of minus-11.6. 

Moving forward, the Indians will hope Cabrera can continue to flash a powerful arm and tamp down defensive deficiencies while maintaining a robust average at the minor league level and perhaps eventually in the majors. That's a tall order, but if Cabrera is up the task, he could emerge as a value signing in due time.