In an ongoing series, we'll take a look at possible free-agent and trade targets for the Texas Rangers this winter.
Target: Melky Cabrera, OF
Type of move: Free agency
2012 stats: .346 batting average, .390 on-base %, .906 OPS, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs in 113 games with the San Francisco Giants (suspended 50 games for PEDs)
Look, there's obviously some risk involved here. The good thing is, Cabrera would likely come on the cheap as he'll be trying to prove his 2012 season wasn't the result of cheating. Remember, back in 2011, Cabrera had a pretty fine season in Kansas City, hitting .305 with 18 homers and 87 RBIs.
Cabrera doesn't have a ton of power, but he's a professional hitter, and always has been as long as he's able to stay healthy — something he had trouble with during his New York Yankee days. It's a low-risk, high-reward proposition because teams aren't going to be champing at the bit to sign Cabrera after his steroid suspension, even if it did come in a year where he was in line to win the NL batting crown and was the MVP of the All-Star Game. One bad thing about Cabrera is he's not a great centerfielder, and actually played more in the corners for the Giants after spending much of his career in center.
