Sports

Mets trade Asdrubal Cabrera to Phillies for Double-A pitcher

PITTSBURGH — The Mets’ purge of veteran players set to hit free agency continued Friday, when Asdrubal Cabrera was traded to the Phillies for Double-A pitcher Franklyn Kilome.

Cabrera was scratched from the lineup just over an hour before the first pitch of the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park. The trade came less than a week after the Mets dealt Jeurys Familia to the Athletics for two minor league players.

Kilome, 23, was the Phillies’ No. 10 prospect, according to @MLBPipeline. The 6-foot-6 righty with a 95-mph fastball was 4-6 with a 4.24 ERA this season in 19 appearances for Double-A Reading. Kilome’s control is an issue: He has walked 51 batters in 102 innings.

“He’s a little bit raw, but there is a lot of potential there,” assistant general manager John Ricco said on a conference call. “We’re really excited to bring him to an organization that prides itself on developing pitching talent.”





The Post’s Joel Sherman tweeted there is belief within the industry that Kilome could end up a reliever because he has been slow in developing his secondary pitches.

As part of the deal, the Phillies will assume the $2.9 million that Cabrera is still owed for this season. The Mets also shed about $3 million in salary as part of Familia’s trade to Oakland.

With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaching, the Mets may still trade Zack Wheeler, Wilmer Flores, Devin Mesoraco and Jose Bautista, among others.

Cabrera’s exit will allow the Mets to take an extended look at rookie Jeff McNeil playing second base. He went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt Friday. Another option, T.J. Rivera, likely won’t be ready until late August at the earliest, according to Ricco, as he awaits the restart of a minor league rehab assignment following elbow soreness. Rivera is returning from Tommy John surgery.





Cabrera is expected to play second base, shortstop and third base for a Phillies team fighting for the NL East title.

“I want to say thank you to the [Mets] organization for giving me an opportunity to be part of the family,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera departs the Mets in a rarified position, among the few free-agent additions during general manager Sandy Alderson’s tenure who actually panned out for the organization.

In an era of free-agent mayhem for the Mets — think Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier, Anthony Swarzak and Jason Vargas this season alone — it’s Cabrera who stood as an example of how it’s supposed to look when signing a veteran player.

Other than maybe Curtis Granderson, who departed through a trade last August after almost four years of solid service with the team, it’s difficult naming a free-agent addition who dollar-for-dollar served the Mets as well as Cabrera in recent seasons.





He departs with an .817 OPS and team-leading 18 homers this season.

Alderson, who stepped aside as GM in June to battle recurring cancer, signed Cabrera to a two-year contract worth $18.5 million before the 2016 season. Cabrera’s 2018 option for $8.25 million was picked up early last offseason, a move that proved shrewd even given the market’s nosedive that left other options available for low prices.

If anything stood out about Cabrera, it was his ability to play though assorted injuries, staying on the field as many of his teammates crumbled physically. That toughness endeared Cabrera to the fans.

“I hope they appreciate that because I come here and do my best to help the team,” Cabrera said.

“I have come here and worked hard every day and tried to win. I love to win. I hate to lose, but sometimes it’s nothing we can control. Hopefully they understand and appreciate it. I came every day here and did my best.”





Cabrera’s tenure with the Mets was not completely smooth. Last summer, upset the front office hadn’t yet picked up his 2018 option and planned to move him from shortstop, Cabrera erupted, with a public request to be traded. The tension was quickly resolved and Cabrera played the role of good solider since.

And Cabrera’s professionalism this season has been appreciated by rookie manager Mickey Callaway as Rome has burned around him.

“I think of a gritty, veteran guy that knows how to hit and is going to make all those plays,” Callaway said. “He’s been very outstanding for our young guys, showing guys that it’s not easy to go out there and play every day and that you have got to play through stuff and you have got to grind it out and still be productive.”





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