Cabrera Reactions

Scroll down to read my analysis of the trade.


Dave Allen, Fangraphs: "I like the deal. The Twins are exactly the type of team, in tight contention for a playoff spot, who should be dealing. Thus even half a win is quite valuable to them."

LaVelle E. Neal III, Star Tribune: "Anyway, is this the right deal? Freddy Sanchez was a better fit. Marco Scutaro would be a better fit. And I’m worried that Cabrera is going to bat second in the lineup when he should be seventh. And it’s taken one hot month for him to get his numbers past Brendan Harris. But he’s been in the playoffs and might be energized to be in a postseason race. We’ll see…"

Seth Stohs, SethSpeaks.net: "Don't fool yourselves, the cost for Cabrera was high. I expect Ladendorf would have been in my Top 15, maybe Top 10, Twins prospects at the end of the year... This trade was made to keep the players happy. Cabrera is not much of an improvement over Brendan Harris offensively at SS, and his defense this year has not been good either."

Jesse, Twinkie Town: "My initial take on getting O-Cab is quite simple: it's going to be hard for him to be much worse than what we've already had playing in the middle infield. Do I think it'll be a shame to lose plate appearances for Brendan Harris? Yes. Is he the best option on the market? No. But that's the only negative spin on this deal."

Ubelmann, Stick & Ball Guy: "I'm pretty ambivalent about this. I don't think that really helps us, but maybe it'll bolster morale. (After all, without a move today, Joe Mauer was going to quit baseball and play quarterback for the Packers.)"

Josh Johnson, Josh's Thoughts: "On first thought, I think it's a fair trade. While Ladendorf is a promising young prospect, he's not a "Top Prospect" and this should please the players."

Rob Neyer, ESPN.com: "From the Twins' perspective, my only concern would be Cabrera's defensive numbers, which have been pretty lousy this season. Perhaps one can assume that's something of a fluke, as he's been quite good in the last two seasons. Good move for both clubs, though of course we won't know for a couple of months how the Twins really fared."

Keith Law, ESPN.com: "Orlando Cabrera gives Twins a huge upgrade at shortstop."