Miguel Cabrera just signed a massive contract that will most
likely keep him as a Detroit Tiger for the rest of his career. His extension
will be the largest ever, as it will extend his current contract through at
least 2023. Eight years, $248 million is guaranteed.
This is one of the worst contracts I’ve seen in the history
of the sport.
First off, congrats to Miggy, because now he will be making
$31 million a year no matter what happens to him. But for the Detroit Tigers –
what in the world are you doing?! You are signing a guy who, yes, is the best
hitter in baseball right now, but he will be 31 this season, and this extension
will keep him until he is 40! He’s not going to put up the same numbers as he
is right now when he is 35, let alone 40 (and there is a HUGE difference
between 35 and 40).
If this contract was given to Mike Trout, it would be a great
deal, especially since he’s put up historic numbers already. But for any player
over the age of 29, this is absurd.
And does nobody follow the “those who cannot remember the
past are doomed to repeat it” in the MLB? Alex Rodriguez signed a similar
contract in 2000, which was until Miggy’s the biggest contract in history, and
now look at him! He has played 125+ games in only one of his past five seasons,
and he won’t be playing at all in 2014. So the Yankees are paying close an
average of $30 million (his salary has regressed based on the way his contract works)
a year, and has put up a combined 14.8 WAR since 2009. A 14.8 WAR in five years
is still ok, but putting it in Wins Above Salary, he is generating less than a
win compared to others.
Or how about Albert Pujols? Signing an 8-year, $240 million
deal has plagued the Angels, especially when he got hurt last season. Does
nobody in that organization realize that in September and October, Cabrera was
practically playing injured, and could barely run. The chances of him getting
injured this year is high, making his chances of getting injured at age 35 and
after is severe.
Basically, they will be paying $30 million a year for a guy
who, towards the end of his career, has a high risk of getting injured, will
see his batting average drop below .300, and he will be hitting much fewer
extra-base hits. This will limit the Tigers from trying to spend more on other
players, thus they will be playing worse and worse just because of this
contract.
Look at the Yankees. They locked in guys like C.C. Sabathia,
Derek Jeter, and now Ellsbury, McCann, and Beltran, so they will have these
guys until they are about to retire. This has severely limited them to try and
develop a farm system and have any young talent (besides Tanaka, and that’s
just because they have way to much money to do it).
If all of this proves wrong and Cabrera is able to still hit
40 home runs at age 40, then he might just be the best hitter of all time. But
the probability of that happening is low. But what else is the answer? The
Tigers are right in the mix of contending for at least the next few years, and
Cabrera’s contract would have ended in 2015, so what do you do?
Well you can clearly sign him for a smaller duration contract
but with a higher pay. I think that’d be a much better thing than what they’re
doing right now. But in all honesty, if he doesn’t take something like that, I
wouldn’t resign him after 2015. Yes he is the best hitter right now, but at
that point he would be exiting his prime, his risk of getting injured would be
high, and (like we’ve seen), he would cost a boatload of money.
With the money that they have now, the Tigers should be able
to find players that can replace Cabrera. I’d much rather have three good, young,
and potential all-star players worth $10 million/year each than a veteran
making $30 million/year, even with back-to-back MVP’s.
So Tiger fans, if Cabrera does get injured, the one person to
blame would be the owner, Mike Ilitch. He is desperate to win a World Series,
and this is a desperate move to keep that chance. General Manager Dave
Dombrowski knows what he’s doing, and he knows how risky this deal is. But
Dombrowski has learned that Ilitch will overpay for anybody he really wants,
and he wants Cabrera more than anyone else he’s ever had the chance to be with.
But hey, if he does produce numbers like me, then forget this
entire article. But I doubt that’s going to happen. There needs to be a salary
cap in baseball to prevent things like these, but that’s a whole different
story to talk about.
Will Cabrera be just as good as last year this year?
Probably, pending that he does not get injured. But will he be the same when he’s
35? No, and that’s the thing that this organization must realize. Maybe they
have realized it, but they just don’t want to get rid of one of the greatest
hitters in Tigers’ history.
“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
Remember that, especially when it comes to contracts with baseball players.
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