Overview
- The Cincinnati Reds claimed Oswaldo Cabrera off waivers from the New York Yankees on Friday after New York designated him for assignment to open a 40-man spot for pitcher Clarke Schmidt.
- Cabrera is a 27-year-old Venezuelan utility player who has played every position except catcher for the Yankees and has 1.7 career bWAR, a .635 MLB OPS, 20 home runs and 95 RBI across five big-league seasons.
- He spent most of 2026 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he hit .288 with a .790 OPS, 19 home runs and 12-of-13 stolen bases, a performance that likely drew Cincinnati’s interest.
- The Reds acquire two more years of club control over Cabrera, which makes him a low-risk, cost-controlled option to test as depth or a potential bench/utility piece in spring training.
- The move reflects routine late-season roster mechanics: the Yankees used a designation for assignment to clear a 40-man spot, the waiver process exposed Cabrera to claims, and Cincinnati assumed his contract to gain a cheap, evaluable asset.