Unemployed all offseason and throughout baseball's coronavirus shutdown, Melky Cabrera really, truly is just happy to be here. Can he play first base? Sure, he said. He has done so in the Dominican Winter League and is giving it a shot in camp with the Mets.
Is he happy to be back in New York, where he spent his first five major-league seasons with the Yankees? Sure, he said. He is pleased for the new chance with a new team.
What role might he have? Not sure, he said. The Mets told him to show up and work hard, so he is.
"With the opportunity that I have, I think I'm able to bring veteran leadership and also with the versatility I have, being a switch hitter, in any position they put me in, I think I can help the team," Cabrera, a 35-year-old outfielder, said through an interpreter Sunday.
The Mets initially worked out Cabrera in March, but they didn't sign him to a minor-league deal until late last month, when MLB lifted its transaction freeze.
"Thank God I was staying in shape," Cabrera said. "I was making sure that I was in top shape.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity. is where I first started my career and I'm grateful for the team to give me this new opportunity to continue playing here."
