Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Cabrera was one of three players from outside the organization brought in Monday by the Mets. Right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland, who was released in March by the Nationals, and former White Sox and Tigers infielder Gordon Beckham also were added.
Cabrera, who was not with a team during spring training, spent the 2019 season with the Pirates, appearing in 133 games with a .280 batting average, .715 OPS, seven home runs and 47 RBI. The Pirates were the eighth team Cabrera has played for in his 15-year major league career.
He is a .285/.334/.417 hitter over the course of his career, and he helped the Yankees win the World Series in 2009. Cabrera also was the All-Star Game MVP in 2012, the same year he was suspended 50 games for violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. That season, he batted .346 with a .906 OPS.
If he makes the Mets roster, Cabrera, who struck out at only a 10.3 percent clip in 2019, could be used as a designated hitter. He has not batted below .273 in the past decade.