Washington Nationals: 5 to watch as surging Mets come to D.C.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Since Neil Walker is on the disabled list, the Mets have had to use Cabrera at second base. At first, he wasn’t too pleased about it and publicly asked for a trade. That talk has since cooled off and Cabrera’s bat has heated up.

The former Washington Nationals second baseman has five home runs in his last 17 games and has six multi-hit games in his last ten games. His two-run home run in the seventh inning on Saturday led the Mets to a 7-6 win on his bobblehead day.

If the Mets are out of it, Cabrera could be one of those trade pieces that gets moved at the trade deadline. He has a team option for $8.5 million next year, but any club can buy him out for $2 million. Plus, it would allow a spot to be opened on the infield for one of the Mets top prospects, shortstop Amed Rosario.

This season, the Nats pitchers have done a good job in keeping Cabrera off the bases. He is 3-for-17 against Washington this year with one RBI. Despite those struggles, Cabrera has had some success in his career against tonight’s starter as he has two home runs against Stephen Strasburg (3-for-12 lifetime).

At the very least, if Cabrera keeps this good stretch of play going during this month, he can get the Mets back a good prospect or two at the trade deadline. The only question for him is can he stay on the field after being on the disabled list twice this year.