Asdrubal Cabrera rumors: Athletics, Giants, Cardinals, Mets, Twins interested in middle infielder

A market seems to be taking shape for free agent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, as CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Giants, Athletics, Twins, Cardinals, and Mets have been among the clubs to express interest in the 29-year-old. Cabrera figures to be an intriguing option to a number of teams, as he is capable of playing shortstop, second base, and third base.

The Giants are an interesting fit considering they have Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford slated to man the middle infield next season. However, they have a clear hole at the hot corner with Pablo Sandoval now in Boston (the 39-year-old Scutaro is the current projected third baseman in San Francisco), and although Cabrera has played just one major league game at the position, many view him as a reasonable option despite his lack of experience. Of course, the Giants have continuously downplayed their interest in Cabrera, and assistant GM Bobby Evans has even stated that the club would prefer him as a second baseman.

The Cardinals are a particularly intriguing name to add to the mix, as the club is well-set at second, short, and third with Kolten Wong, Jhonny Peralta, and Matt Carpenter, respectively. Each member of that trio seems to be better options than Cabrera, so if the Cardinals were to add him, it would likely be in a sort of super-utility role. However, it's unlikely that Cabrera would choose to forego an everyday job, and even less likely that St. Louis ponies up that type of money for a bench player.

Cabrera seems to fit the Athletics' mantra of positional versatility, though he would provide the biggest upgrade for the A's at second base over the Eric Sogard/Nick Punto platoon. Oakland also appears to have some money available after dealing away arb-eligible players Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, and Jeff Samardzija this offseason.

The Mets are lacking a clear option at shortstop, while the Twins have Danny Santana, but he could potentially be moved to an outfield spot.

Cabrera has been among the better offensive shortstops in the game for much of his career with a 105 OPS+ and Silver Slugger award on his resume. He has consistently been an above-average producer, averaging 2.7 WAR per season since earning a full-time gig with Cleveland in 2008. He is coming off a somewhat disappointing season in which he hit .241/.307/.387 with a 0.9 WAR in 616 plate appearances with the Indians and Nationals.