Melky Cabrera and the Toronto Blue Jays continue to have mutual interest, Cabrera’s agent Peter Greenberg told Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter
Greenberg joined The Jeff Blair Show on Friday to address reports that Cabrera would prefer not to play on the artificial turf at Rogers Centre. Greenberg said that the playing surface in Toronto is not a deal-breaker and would not prevent his free agent from ultimately signing with the Blue Jays.
Cabrera also posted on Twitter that he doesn’t care what surface he plays on:
On Friday morning, Buster Olney of ESPN.com claimed that the free-agent outfielder would prefer to sign with a team that does not play on artificial turf at home.
Cabrera, 30, told reporters after the 2014 season that he wanted to return to Toronto, but the two sides reportedly remain far apart in negotiations.
He spent the last two seasons with the Blue Jays after signing a free-agent deal worth $16 million in 2012. After an injury-plagued 2013 season, Cabrera had a strong showing in 2014, batting .301/.351/.458/.808 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI and 43 walks in 139 games.
The Blue Jays extended Cabrera a $15.3-million qualifying offer to ensure they receive draft-pick compensation should he depart, but he declined the offer in early November.
It remains unclear how much money Toronto has available to spend on free agents after signing catcher Russell Martin to a five year, $82-million deal earlier this month.
