The Detroit Tigers decided to give franchise player and back-to-back MVP Miguel Cabrera a contract extension, but the terms and circumstances of the deal apparently have outraged some MLB executives.
ESPN MLB reporter Buster Olney says the industry is “in shock” over the deal and that some people are “appalled” by it.
Miguel Cabrera is highly respected/appreciated, but officials with other teams are appalled by Detroit decision to give him that many years.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 27, 2014
Haven't heard as much disgust over a contract from rival execs since the Jayson Werth contract. Industry is in shock over the Cabrera deal.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 27, 2014
Cabrera was already signed through 2015 and scheduled to make $22 million in each of the next two seasons. He turns 31 in April, and Detroit wanted to keep him long term.
According to FOX’s Jon Morosi, Cabrera’s extension will be for eight years after his current deal expires, which puts him under contract with the Tigers through 2023. The deal calls for him to be paid $292 million. On top of that, Jon Heyman says there are $30 million vesting options for years 2024 and 2025 which, if reached, would keep Cabrera with the Tigers for the next 12 years!
Now is this a crazy contract people should be “appalled” over? I think we need to find out the terms of the vesting options before we evaluate it. Assuming that it will be difficult for a 40-year-old Cabrera to make it vest, I’ll look at the contract as one that will pay Miggy $292 million through 2023. That seems completely reasonable for the best hitter in baseball. Nobody likes the thought of paying a guy $30 million a year when he’s 37, 38, 39 and 40, but that’s what you have to do if you want to keep the best player in baseball on your team. Plus, for as good of a hitter as Miggy is, he’ll probably still be an asset when he’s 37 and 38 and, with inflation, $30 million then won’t seem like quite as much as it does now.
Assuming the vesting years will be tough to achieve, I don’t mind this deal one bit. You have to pay to keep great players, and if there’s one player whose bat I’m most confident in long term, it’s definitely Miggy’s!
Plus, look at this reasoning from Detroit’s side:
The Cabrera contract happened because Mike Ilitch couldn't bear the thought of losing him — and didn't care what it cost to keep him.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 28, 2014
Well that would explain why the Tigers rushed to give a player who’s getting older such a big contract despite having him signed for two more seasons. Had they waited a year, they wouldn’t have had to worry about having such a huge financial commitment to the slugger in case he gets injured. Other teams are probably wondering why they assumed that risk when they had no reason to.
