The Reds have started shaping their 2027 roster before the offseason even really gets going, agreeing on Thursday to a one-year Major League contract with Oswaldo Cabrera and avoiding arbitration with the versatile infielder/outfielder.
Cincinnati did not announce the financial terms of the deal right away, though MLB Trade Rumors projected Cabrera would earn $1.1 million through arbitration in 2027. With Cabrera now signed, the Reds have 11 players still up for arbitration this offseason.
Cabrera arrived in Cincinnati late in the 2026 season after spending that year with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. New York designated him for assignment, and the Reds claimed him off waivers on September 18. He barely had time to settle in, getting just 22 regular season at-bats over the final week-plus of the year and collecting four hits and a stolen base.
The #Reds today agreed to terms on a one-year Major League contract, avoiding arbitration with IF/OF Oswaldo Cabrera.
- Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) October 15, 2026
The move was hardly a surprise from a long-term standpoint. Cabrera is under team control through 2028, and he was already eligible for arbitration this offseason. But the timing matters, and the agreement gives Cincinnati a little more clarity as winter approaches.
That could turn out to be a useful template for the Reds. It will be worth watching how many other arbitration-eligible players follow Cabrera’s lead and accept one-year deals before the expected lockout on December 1. The contract also fits what Reds president Nick Krall discussed earlier this month about building out the lower end of the roster with complementary pieces.
Cabrera’s value is obvious in that role. When Spencer Steer went down with a wrist injury in late July, Cincinnati lost one of its most flexible defenders.
Steer played six different positions in 2026, not counting DH, and had wrist surgery late last month. There’s hope he’ll be ready when spring training opens, but Cabrera gives the Reds another layer of cover.
And the Reds have already seen how he can move around the diamond. In his short September stint, Cabrera appeared in seven games and logged time at four different positions. His track record with the Yankees was even broader: every position except catcher, plus a pitch in a 2024 blowout when he worked ⅓ of an inning.
For Cincinnati, getting Cabrera locked in early checks off one need. And if this move is any sign, more understated business could be coming before the owners likely lock out the players on December 1.
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