SAN FRANCISCO — In many ways, Asdrubal Cabrera represented the Mets’ 2016 season. He gutted his way through knee pain, providing sure-handed defense at shortstop and stout offense at the plate, and came to be seen as the team’s heart and soul. Behind his play, and, leadership, the Mets rallied to earn a National League wild-card berth.

But on Friday, inside the visitors’ clubhouse at AT&T Park, everything that Cabrera represented about last year’s team was upside down. In a season in which the Mets are gradually losing any chance to contend for a playoff spot, and may soon be trying to trade veteran players and look to 2018, Cabrera expressed frustration about his own situation rather than the team’s.

For the Mets, it was not a heartening sight.

Having just returned from a stint on the disabled list because of a thumb injury, Cabrera discovered he was being shifted from shortstop to second base. And he immediately reacted by requesting a trade.

“If you want me to move, I move for the team,” said the 31-year-old Cabrera, a veteran of 11 major league seasons. “But you’ve got to give me something for me and my family, too. That’s the only thing that I want.”