By September 18th of the 2026 regular season, the Cincinnati Reds were long toast. They were 10 games under the .500 mark and a lock to finish dead last in the five-team National League Central division, and the final home game of the year was just two days away.
You will not be blamed if you had long checked out by that point. If you had, though, you likely missed that the Reds picked up utility infielder Oswaldo Cabrera off waivers from the New York Yankees, which they did with just 9 games remaining
in their season.
Cabrera, to his credit, turned his limited opportunities into something worthwhile. He went 4 for 13 and even swiped a bag, doing so while pinch hitting, playing some 3B, and even getting limited run out in LF. That versatility has become his calling card as he enters his age-28 season as the bat – which once showed promise during a rookie campaign in the Bronx back in 2022 – simply hasn’t managed to materialize much.
Part of why New York was willing to waive him when he did was due to his pending trip through the arbitration process for the first time this winter. That means a raise off the league-minimum salary, and if a player truly isn’t in a team’s plans for those years they’d obviously prefer to focus those funds elsewhere. For Cabrera and the Reds, though, there was seemingly a match on September 18th that officially remains relevant today.
That’s because the player and the team skipped formalities and went ahead with an agreement for a contract for 2027. The Reds themselves announced the move on Thursday afternoon, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon later adding that the deal includes a $1 million base salary with up to $200K in bonuses.
Cabrera, a switch hitter, literally has played everywhere except behind the plate. If the bat can be anywhere as low as perhaps twice that of Ke’Bryan Hayes, that’s a valuable piece – especially since he typically plays pretty decently at most of those spots. As 26th men on the roster go, that’s a pretty solid piece, especially since he comes in with zero expectations of getting regular PA at this point of his career.
He even has one option remaining, per Roster Resource. So the Reds can option him back to AAA Louisville if, say, Juan Brito outplays him for the team’s utility role or if they want to carry a boppin’ thunderbat as last man on the bench instead of a glove-first guy.
It’s the sexiest move the Cincinnati Reds have made all offseason. It’s the only move the Cincinnati Reds have made all offseason.
