The Tigers have reportedly reached agreement on an extension with Miguel Cabrera which will pay him $292 million over the next 10 years and keep him under contract through at least his age-40 season. If the deal is announced as a 10-year extension, it will be the biggest financial commitment in sports history. While both parties are obviously happy with the new mega-deal, ESPN’s Buster Olney hears that executives around MLB are in shock:
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 is entering his age-31 season now, so it’s not exactly bold to say that this deal probably won’t look very good in the end. Yes, he’s the best hitter in the world right now, but players get old and decline and the odds are against him being the exception. There’s also the matter of timing, as he was already under contract for two more seasons. Was there really a sense of urgency to get this done at this very moment? There’s a ton of money in the game right now and there’s an argument to be made that the players aren’t getting enough of it, but this type of deal just feels unnecessary given his age and what he’s likely to be toward the end of it.
If there’s anybody who is probably peeved by the news of this extension, it’s the Angels. Sure, there have been extension discussions in recent months, but can you imagine what Mike Trout will (or should) demand after this? Oh boy.
