Red Sox vs the AL East: shortstops
By Conor Duffy
Sep 16, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera (3) bats against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
4. Asdrubal Cabrera, Rays
Cabrera’s career has been trending downwards since a breakout 2011 season which saw him slash .273/.332/.460 with 25 home runs and 17 stolen bases for the Indians, and he didn’t show many signs of improvement last season. In 146 games between the Indians and Nationals, Cabrera hit only .241/.307/.387 and, at 29 years old, probably won’t show any signs of drastic improvement. Now that’s not a terrible slash line in today’s pitching-centric game, particularly for a shortstop, but it’s also not enough to make him an especially valuable player. The Rays brought him to Tampa Bay with a 1 year/$7.5M contract, where he’ll likely serve as a roughly league-average starting shortstop.