Rumors: Melky Cabrera drawing free agent interest from five clubs

Last week, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos indicated that the team and free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera were far apart in regards to a new contract. At the time, Anthopoulos felt it would be best for Melky to test the market and the two sides could use free agency to help gauge where they need to be if the outfielder returns to Toronto.

According to a report out of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, that market appears to be taking shape despite the free agency period still being in its infancy.

Now, we can take this with a grain of salt, as you don’t tend to find very many Blue Jays rumors coming out of the fine state of New Jersey. Additionally, author Mike Vorkunov does throw out the obligatory “a person with knowledge of the situation” and “The person requested anonymity” riders in order to validate the piece. Still, it isn’t entirely surprising either.

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Vorkunov does not mention which five teams have shown interest in Melky during the early goings of free agency, but he does indicate that the New York Mets are likely out of the picture due to Cabrera’s perceived asking price. MLB Trade Rumors listed the Orioles, Tigers, Royals, White Sox, Twins, Mariners, Giants, Rangers, Padres, Reds, and Phillies as other teams possibly in the mix, with the White Sox, Twins, Rangers, and Phillies all having protected first round picks.

After hitting .301/.351/.458 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI, the 30-year-old Cabrera has positioned himself as one of the top available outfielder in a field that includes very few safe bets. With that in mind, the Blue Jays are interested in bringing Cabrera back in 2015, but want to do so in a way that won’t financially cripple their other objectives this winter.

The true question will be where Melky Cabrera’ market will be and what teams are willing to pay for him. At 30-years-old, he’ll be looking for some more long-term security than the three-year pact the Blue Jays were initially offering, which shouldn’t be difficult based on the depth of the market this winter.

Regardless, it looks like Cabrera’s free agency ride is ready to veer off the path the Toronto Blue Jays were hoping it would stick to. It just comes down to whether or not Alex Anthopoulos is ready to stick to his guns or ready to make some concessions.