No, it’s Easy to Pick Sides in Asdrubal Cabrera Affair

A writer at ESPN.com whom no one has ever heard of except his mother (because that’s who is left there after the great purge) writes this weekend that is it “not easy to pick a side in Asdrubal Cabrera’s rift with the Mets.” I don’t know what rift he is referring to, because it is very easy to pick a side — Cabrera is acting like a spoiled brat.

To recap, Cabrera was not happy that when he came off the disabled list on Friday, he was moved from shortstop to second base. He said he would rather the Mets trade him if they didn’t want to use him at short and pick up his option for next season.

Let’s deal with the option part first. Everyone and his uncle knows Amed Rosario will be the shortstop in 2018. Did Cabrera really expect to be there next season? If so, he is more of a fool than he appears.

As far as his playing position, it is also clear to everyone that Cabrera has taken a huge step backwards this season defensively at short. His range is severely limited and he has committed 11 errors, as opposed to seven all of last season. His batting has been average, at best.

And as Keith Hernandez pointed out on Friday, it’s not like the Mets are asking him to play a position he has never played before. He played second base as recently as 2014, so it’s not like it’s the outfield or anything.

Certainly the Mets could have given Cabrera a bit of notice so he could have played a couple of rehab games at second. But Terry Collins says he did not make the decision until Friday (read that as Sandy Alderson did not make the decision until Friday). If that is true (and would you put it past the Mets to lie?), then there was no time to tell him until hours before taking the field.

Frankly, Asdrubal Cabrera is lucky to be in the lineup at all. Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera are both playing much better than him and could easily supplant him at second. The Mets are throwing Asdrubal Cabrera a lifeline to show other teams that his career is not over and that he is versatile enough to play a position other than shortstop. He would be wise to grab it. Instead, he is intent on drowning.