Phillies trade rumors: Team interested in Asdrubal Cabrera

The Phillies may be in the market to make a deal with a division rival as they reportedly have interest in Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.

The Phillies have remained active in the trade market with the deadline fast approaching. They have rumored interest in numerous players, and another was added to the list Sunday afternoon.

Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted Sunday that Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera could be on the move soon. Olney said the Phils were one of the teams interested in Cabrera, along with the Brewers and Indians.

The Mets began their sell-off this weekend, trading closer Jeurys Familia to the Athletics. Cabrera is one of several Mets who could be traded by the July 31 deadline.

Cabrera has been a consistent offensive producer the last three years for the Mets. In 94 games this year, he has a .280/.332/.487 line with 17 home runs, 53 runs batted in, and a 125 OPS+. Since 2016, he has hit 54 home runs with an .804 OPS.

Adding Cabrera would no doubt be a welcome addition to Philadelphia’s lineup. The issue would be figuring out where he slides in. He has exclusively played second base for the Mets this year and said during the offseason he would like to remain there. It’s highly unlikely Cabrera would play second base in Philadelphia with Cesar Hernandez there.

Cabrera would more likely fit into the left side of the infield. He would certainly be an upgrade over Scott Kingery at the plate, but his defensive numbers at shortstop were atrocious last year. He made 11 errors in 45 games and had -8 defensive runs saved, prompting his move to second base.

Cabrera could also play third base, which he did in 44 games last year. This would mean taking Maikel Franco out of the lineup, who has a .330/.385/.568 line since June 17.

In addition, the Phils and Mets rarely make trades with each other. The last one happened July 27, 2001, when Adam Walker and Bruce Chen were traded to the Mets for Dennis Cook and Turk Wendell. The last notable trade between the two teams was back in 1989 when Philadelphia traded Juan Samuel to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, and Tom Edens, who was a player to be named later.

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If Cabrera does come to Philadelphia, his offensive presence would be a huge boost. Figuring out where he would slot into the lineup is another matter, but that will be figured if and when he comes here.