The Kansas City Royals agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Melky Cabrera pending a physical exam. The 26-year-old switch-hitting Cabrera played the 2010 season with the Atlanta Braves after spending eight seasons in the New York Yankees organization.
He batted .255 in 147 games for the Braves last season, recording 27 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 42 RBI and 50 runs scored. The 6-foot, 200-pounder is a career .267 hitter with 117 doubles, 15 triples, 40 home runs and 270 RBI in 716 games in the Majors since breaking in with the Yankees in 2005. Cabrera has appeared at all three outfield positions in his career, spending a majority of his time in center.
Signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in 2001, the resident of Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic was acquired by Atlanta on December 22, 2009 in a five-player trade that sent pitchers Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan to New York.
