When Miguel Cabrera's new deal was confirmed, I didn't report on it because I thought it was ridiculous. I had to figure out a way to put those feelings into words, and I think I have figured it out.
As we all know, Cabrera got an extension with the Detroit Tigers for 8 years and $248 million, but it also includes the last two years on his last contract which pushes the total to $292 million. Plus it has two option years which can push the price up to $352 million. Money wise, this is the biggest deal in baseball. This is a ridiculous amount, even for the best hitter in baseball. No player is worth that much, and it is ridiculous that inflation is pushing prices up this high.
Everyone knows that Cabrera is the best hitter in the known universe. Should he have gotten a twelve contract when he is 30? No. I think that is where I take the most problem with this contract. You give a great player tons of money for a long amount of time, and it seems like their previous production disappears the next season. The obvious example is Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. After they signed the insane contracts with the Angels, they both experienced steep declines in their production and that is only in the first couple years. Another example to a lesser extent is Justin Verlander. He did not put up a very Justin Verlander type year last season. Although he was still good. So we don't know what to expect from Cabrera.
The contract they should've given Cabrera should have been around 6 or 7 years and $260-70 million. That is around the same type of deal with less years. This contract will definitely become an albatross at some point, and when it does the Tigers will be regretting it. If they had been a little more wise in their negotiations, then they would've wound up with one of the better deals. Instead they have infuriated other baseball executives and probably a few fans such as myself. This won't become the new norm in baseball anytime soon, but it definitely does up the prices of other contracts.
I am not saying that Miguel Cabrera isn't a special player. He really is. I just have a problem with these kinds of deals, because overtime players have proven they aren't worth it. Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Josh Hamilton have proven they aren't worth it. Robinson Cano was never worth his. Verlander might not be worth his. Cabrera deserves a lot of money and a lot of years, but not this much. Do you agree?
As we all know, Cabrera got an extension with the Detroit Tigers for 8 years and $248 million, but it also includes the last two years on his last contract which pushes the total to $292 million. Plus it has two option years which can push the price up to $352 million. Money wise, this is the biggest deal in baseball. This is a ridiculous amount, even for the best hitter in baseball. No player is worth that much, and it is ridiculous that inflation is pushing prices up this high.
Everyone knows that Cabrera is the best hitter in the known universe. Should he have gotten a twelve contract when he is 30? No. I think that is where I take the most problem with this contract. You give a great player tons of money for a long amount of time, and it seems like their previous production disappears the next season. The obvious example is Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. After they signed the insane contracts with the Angels, they both experienced steep declines in their production and that is only in the first couple years. Another example to a lesser extent is Justin Verlander. He did not put up a very Justin Verlander type year last season. Although he was still good. So we don't know what to expect from Cabrera.
The contract they should've given Cabrera should have been around 6 or 7 years and $260-70 million. That is around the same type of deal with less years. This contract will definitely become an albatross at some point, and when it does the Tigers will be regretting it. If they had been a little more wise in their negotiations, then they would've wound up with one of the better deals. Instead they have infuriated other baseball executives and probably a few fans such as myself. This won't become the new norm in baseball anytime soon, but it definitely does up the prices of other contracts.
I am not saying that Miguel Cabrera isn't a special player. He really is. I just have a problem with these kinds of deals, because overtime players have proven they aren't worth it. Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Josh Hamilton have proven they aren't worth it. Robinson Cano was never worth his. Verlander might not be worth his. Cabrera deserves a lot of money and a lot of years, but not this much. Do you agree?