The Houston Astros want to make a big splash this offseason, and they’re looking at two of the biggest bats in baseball to do it.
According to FOX Sports’s Jon Morosi, the Astros are likely to pursue Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera or free agent Edwin Encarnacion, with money to spend.
Encarnacion is the easier proposition. He’s going to be a free agent, so the only thing Houston will have to commit with regards to him is the money.
Cabrera, however, is intriguing. The Detroit Tigers have indicated they are willing to consider offers for pretty much anyone, even their star first baseman. Cabrera could veto any trade, but he’d be an enormous get for Houston. That said, he would probably come with a hefty price tag in terms of players going the other way.
Catching someone sleeping on a pickoff play is usually a good thing. It’s not so good when the guy who’s sleeping is on defense. But that’s what happened with Miguel Cabrera.
During the first inning of Tuesday’s Cubs-Tigers game, Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez threw over to first base in an attempt to pick off Dexter Fowler. Miggy was holding his glove in his throwing hand at the time Sanchez made the throw, so he was unprepared as the ball arrived. It went past him, off the wall, and Cabrera picked it up and threw to second to get Fowler advancing.
The Cubs actually blew a chance to appeal the play. Since Cabrera had the glove on his wrong hand, he actually threw it at the ball to try stopping it. That is against the rules, and Fowler should have been awarded a few bases. However, the Cubs missed that and did not appeal, so they ended up with a player erased from the bases all because Miggy didn’t have his glove on. That cost them a run considering Chris Coghlan later hit a home run that would have been a 3-run shot but instead was a two-run bomb.
Video via Marcus D
A young Cleveland Indians fan spent a large portion of Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers heckling Miguel Cabrera, and it was probably one of the best decisions he has ever made in his life.
The fan, whose name is Dom, made a nice play to snag a foul ball in the fifth inning. He then immediately started getting on Cabrera, telling the All-Star first baseman to look alive because he seemed “bored.”
“I just tell Miggy, ‘I got your back,” Dom explained. “That’s what I’ve been telling him. He was bored. He looked bored out there.”
Rather than tell the kid to quiet down or have ballpark security speak to him, Cabrera rewarded Dom by bringing him a bat and a pair of batting gloves the next inning.
“He said, ‘Hold on, you just wait there,'” Dom said. “At first I thought he was just telling me back away, stop talking, lay it off a little bit. Then I see him bring down this bat and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was shocked.”
That is the definition of killing a person with kindness.
While Dom remains an Indians fan, he admitted that he now thinks highly of Cabrera. After an awesome gesture like that, who wouldn’t? Bravo, Miggy.
Miguel Cabrera’s ability as a baseball is matched by very few. However, some may not know the two-time MVP has some basketball skills as well.
While playing on a basketball goal set up in the Tigers locker room, the two-time MVP showed off a pretty impressive spin move on his way to the hoop. Cabrera also offered his services to the NBA’s Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers by writing, “if cleveland need somebody I’m ready to go” as a caption to the above video on his Instagram account.
Cabrera is listed at 6’4″ and 240lbs and, with moves like that, he may be able to provide some scoring punch in the low post. If a certain 6’10” power forward leaves via free agency, Cleveland will have a roster spot to fill.
H/T Extra Mustard
With Major League Baseball’s playoffs here, the focus from here on out is getting to (and winning) the World Series.
There’s also the formality of the shares of playoff money teams receive for their participation in the postseason. Players must sign a form to receive their piece of the pie.
This year, Miguel Cabrera isn’t interested in the money.
Ahead of the Detroit Tigers’ division series against the Baltimore Orioles, Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer was making his way through the locker room with the forms for players to sign when he arrived at Cabrera’s locker. Last season’s American League MVP made it known he was going to pass this time around.
“I’m not signing anything,” Cabrera told Scherzer via USA Today, who also notes Cabrera later told teammate Victor Martinez that he “just wants the ring.”
This will be the Tigers’ fourth consecutive season in the playoffs with the previous three ending in the American League Championship Series (twice) and a sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
General manager Dave Dombrowski signaled his intent to bring a championship to Detroit this time around by trading for David Price at the trade deadline to bolster and already impressive starting rotation. It sounds like Miguel Cabrera is as focused as ever to do his part to help the cause.
H/T Eye On Baseball
The Seattle Mariners are in Detroit this weekend for a series against the Tigers with American League wild card implications.
Prior to the first game of series on Friday, the Tigers gave Miguel Two-Time MVP bobbleheads to the first 10,000 fans in attendance.
The first baseman, of course, took home the AL version of the award in 2012 after becoming the first player since Carl Yastrzemski to earn the batting triple crown, then became a back-to-back winner in 2013.
The bobblehead is Cabrera with both of his MVP Awards, one in each hand. There’s one small problem, however. The nine-time All-Star is holding the National League version of the award.
You won’t get many arguments for saying Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball today. Unfortunately, that standing won’t get him the MVP in a league he doesn’t play in.
H/T Eye On Baseball
Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander both underwent the same surgical procedure within the past year. The two Detroit Tigers stars had sports hernia surgery, with Cabrera going under the knife last October and Verlander having it done in January. According to Cabrera, neither player has fully recovered.
Miggy is having another fantastic season, leading Major League Baseball with 75 RBI and the AL with 34 doubles. However, his 14 home runs are well behind last season’s pace. Verlander struggled throughout the first half of the season, compiling an 8-8 record with a 4.88 ERA.
“There are times when I feel good, but there are always muscles that are tightening, muscles that are not functioning properly,” Cabrera said Monday, via a translation from Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today Sports. “It’s part of the process. The same thing is happening to Justin Verlander, but the difference is he pitches every five days, so you don’t see it as frequently.”
Despite the nagging injury, Cabrera said he and Verlander do not want to use their ongoing recovery as a crutch.
“But as he and I talked about, we’re never going to offer any excuses for our performance,” Miggy added. “We always want to be out on the field and compete, and I think that’s the most important thing we can do, compete and try to get past this tough time. And the main thing is we’re in first place.”
Sports hernia injuries can affect the waist and lower body area, so that explanation certainly makes sense. It would help explain why Cabrera isn’t blasting as many home runs and why Verlander’s velocity has been down.
As Cabrera mentioned, the Tigers have a 6.5-game lead in the AL Central despite Verlander’s slow start and Miggy’s somewhat human-like numbers. If both can get healthy in the second half, Detroit will be even more dangerous.
Adrian Beltre hates having his head touched, and Miguel Cabrera knows that. On Tuesday night, Beltre collected the 2,500th hit of his MLB career. So naturally, Miggy had to mess with his buddy when he got to first.
Like a good friend, Cabrera tracked down the ball for Beltre so he could keep it for a souvenir. The Texas Rangers PA announcer then informed the fans in attendance that Beltre had reached a milestone, so he took his helmet off to acknowledge the standing ovation. Cabrera saw that as an opportunity to touch Beltre’s head and took advantage.
As some of you might remember, Miggy touched Beltre’s head last month when he got to third base and Beltre responded by punching him in the nuts. What do you think he did on Tuesday?
Cabrera should have seen that coming. By now he should know the deal — touch Beltre’s head and get a sack whack in return. He can’t say he hasn’t been warned.
GIF via SB Nation
Miguel Cabrera was feeling a little saucy on Friday night and decided to tempt fate by touching Adrian Beltre’s head. And you all know what happens if you touch Beltre’s head — you’re going to get a boot up your butt in return.
Cabrera doubled for the Tigers against the Rangers in the third and advanced to third on a groundout. While hanging out on the bag, he struck up a conversation with Beltre. Then he looked down to create a diversion, and when Beltre wasn’t paying attention, he did the unspeakable.
Beltre smacked Cabrera with his glove in return, and then followed up with a nut punch. Miggy hit back at Beltre’s nuts, making it look like a couple of third graders quibbling on the playground at recess.
Gotta love it when a bunch of grown men play around like kids.
Miguel Cabrera did what Miguel Cabrera does … yet it was all a little too much for Austin Jackson to take in Tuesday.
The Detroit Tigers were getting shut out by the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 in the top of the ninth. They had two on with two outs and Miggy at the plate. And of course Cabrera belted a 3-run home run to put the Tigers ahead, and they went on to win 4-1. But the best part was Austin Jackson’s reaction to what Miggy did.
That’s the total, “bro, are you even human?” look. And it was so appropriate.
By the way, how textbook was Miggy’s approach on that pitch? 1-0 count and he was totally thinking “sit back on fastball, adjust to the curve.” He strided ahead for the fastball, kept his body weight back and had enough left to launch the breaking ball over the fence. That’s why he’s the best.
GIF via Guyism
