The Tigers and Miguel Cabrera received some tough news recently when four different medical opinions agreed that the future Hall of Famer is dealing with “chronic changes” in his knee that will impact the remainder of his career. The immediate ramifications of that diagnosis brought about a position change for Cabrera, who is now relegated to DH duty on a full-time basis and won’t be seeing any action at first base for the foreseeable future. As detailed at the time, Cabrera is owed more than $150MM through the end of the 2023 campaign on a contract that looks to be more onerous than ever before.
General manager Al Avila met with reporters Thursday to discuss the situation (all links to Twitter via Evan Woodbery of MLive.com). “The bad news is that it’s going to get worse as it goes along,” said Avila of Cabrera’s knee condition. “It’s incumbent on him to stay in good shape and it’s incumbent on us to make sure we get him the proper treatment and proper rest.” If both sides are able to hold up their end of the bargain, Avila added, the organization is confident it can “keep [Cabrera] productive on the field through the remainder of his contract.”
That’d be a tall order even for a fully healthy Cabrera (or any player signed into his age-40 season). This version of Cabrera, though, is not only dealing with the recently revealed knee issue but also multiple herniated disks in his back and the perhaps lingering effects of last season’s surgery to repair a torn biceps tendon. The 36-year-old surely enjoyed proving some doubters wrong for a night when he ripped a grand slam just hours after the extent of his knee troubles became public knowledge Tuesday. His overall line of .287/.357/.376, however, illustrates the manner in which his power has yet to materialize in 2019.
Given that substantial commitment to Cabrera for another four years beyond the current campaign, it’ll be all the more imperative for the Tigers organization to produce cost-efficient young talent. To that end, Avila discussed a number of intriguing young prospects Thursday, touching on the timelines of infield prospect Willi Castro and several of the club’s top-ranked pitching prospects.
Castro, a shortstop, is hitting .335/.413/.505 through 232 plate appearances in Triple-A while the Tigers’ entire infield flounders at the plate in the Majors. However, Castro has also committed 10 errors in just 44 starts at short (398 1/3 innings) after making only 15 errors in all of 2018. Scouting reports agree that he’ll eventually be a solid defender at the position, but it seems that consistency has eluded him. For a player who just turned 22, that’s not necessarily a shock. It’s worth wondering whether he’ll get a look later this month, as we’re right around the period of time at which teams can begin promoting players without worrying about Super Two status.
As for the pitchers, Avila suggested that although right-handers Beau Burrows and Kyle Funkhouser have struggled, if they can return to “doing what they’re capable of doing,” they’ll likely get a look in the Majors later in the 2019 season. Tigers fans, though, are surely more interested in getting a look at last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Casey Mize. The former Auburn standout is among the game’s top 10 pitching prospects and has decimated minor league lineups in 2019, pitching to a comical 0.83 ERA with a 65-to-10 K/BB in 70 2/3 innings between Class-A Advanced and Double-A.
However, Avila wasn’t shy about the fact that promoting Mize in the near future isn’t all that likely. While the GM didn’t expressly rule out a promotion at some point in 2019, he plainly stated that there’s “no purpose” in promoting Mize to the Majors right now, citing a wariness of undoing some of the progress he’s made thus far. Perhaps if the Tigers were postseason contenders with a pressing rotation need, there’d be more urgency, but Avila was candid in his assessment of his big league roster as well. “Quite frankly it’s not going to make us into playoff contenders this year,” he said of a near-term promotion for Mize.
Miggy!!! Well, we all get ill at times… He is still pretty much the anchor to a young tigers teams…
Tigers fans should have nothing but love for Cabrera he earned this contract and it’s not his fault the front office gave it to him. All the guy does is run out there everyday hurt or not and gives everything he has. And plus he was the best player in baseball for multiple years and should have brought Detroit a World Series if the front office didn’t just totally forget that you need a bullpen to win.
2nd best in baseball for a few years. Gotta go Pujols over him
During those years from like 2011-2014 miggy was definitely better than pujols
Dilert didn’t say which few years in his comment, Tigers Fan. So, for a few more years, as in 2003-2010, it was of course Albert who was double-def better. As in 8-WAR and 9-WAR seasons that Miggy, while good enough, never did.
I don’t think anyone is going to start blaming Miggy for an outlandish contract. Illitch did this on purpose. He wanted to ensure that Miggy was going into the HOF as a Tiger. Had he not signed him and then he goes and wins a few World Series, it could have put that in doubt. With that said, extending him two years early was simply ridiculous and the money was outlandish. In hindsight, he was a great move by Cabby and a bad move by management. If they had not resigned him, he would have struggled to find a contract near 5 million and definitely would have been on 1 year or 2 year contracts. The turnaround would have been easier to swallow knowing that they would have money to spend when they needed to add players to the prospects. Now, they will not add a significant player until he retires at the end of 2023. Which means 2024 will be the first free agent off season they will have money.
I agree with everything you said but the tigers payroll even with Miggy after 2020 is going to be under 100mil due to Zimmermans contract will be up so they will be able to atleast double that payroll with Miggy still on the books.
First ballot Hall of Famer. Hope he can get to those 3,000 hits and 500 home runs benchmarks before he hangs them up.
Casey Mize will be the next superstar SP.
Forget Cabrera’s contract. Not hampering anything right now. In a rebuilding phase and Tiger payroll is low. $115M which is $84M+ less than it was 2 seasons ago. By the time the Tigers are ready to contend and spend, he will be retired. He has some milestones ahead of him and he still is a draw for the fans, so don’t expect the Tigers to try to rush him into retirement either.
Agreed, I go for seeing Miggy. Period.
Exactly. The fans should enjoy the twilight of Miggy’s career. Unlike Pujols, Cabrera carried that team before breaking down with age and getting expensive.
Watch a few milestones while the team rebuilds, then hopefully enjoy another good run in a few years.
Carried it where? Losing seasons in 2017 and 18. Winning but non-playoff season in 2016. Losing in 2015. He wasn’t broken down at all in 2015. Or 2016.
And, no, Pujols didn’t do that because the Cardinals moved on.
Part of age. One of the best pure hitters I’ve ever seen.
Do have to laugh a bit at the Miggy staying in shape part, though. That knee has always carried at least 20 lbs more than it needed to.
He likes to drink. At least he doesn’t look like colon
Miggy has been sober since 2012
thanks for clarifying that. I know he used to have a problem (so did I) but thought he got on the right path.
Let mize build up his innings and go from there. No rush considering the tigers team has barely started to rebuild
Mize isnt the only one to look forward too either, that AA rotation is loaded with Faedo and Manning there too. Any baseball fans in the Erie area should try to get to some games to see any of those kids throw.
Time for Cabrera to lose weight. Hard to generate power with bad wheels…..
Assuming relative health, say 120 games average next 3.6 years(also assuming he simply walks away a year early, as he is such a passionate about baseball emotional guy he may not want to limp to the finish line)…he will pass 3000 hits handily(2750ish now) and 500 hr likely (468 now).
A little more durability and he could have been sniffing 3500 and 600, but as said, he has always been a bit pudgy…
So Mize isn’t Verlander 2.0?
The tigers were a competitive team in ‘05 when they called up Verlander. They were just a year away from making it to the World Series. The 2019 tigers are still well into their rebuild and have no need to call up Mize. That doesn’t mean he’s not as good or even better it just means the times and circumstances are different
Mize is at 70 innings already this year. He will probably be shut down at 150. So he probably won’t get called up in the fall. Maybe next year.
The Tigers were 71-91 in 2005. Nobody was predicting them to be competitive in 2006.
Mize is more comparable to Roger Clemens.
Matt Manning is the next Verlander.
no pressure kids
Agree with all prior comments about Miggy…he’s been a generational player; a hall of famer and we had the pleasure of watching him every night!
As to the rebuild, I don’t believe Avila is the guy to get it done. When Dombo left, it was time to invest heavily in the infrastructure of their minor league system and revamp the scouting system. While they have spent more money on the farm system, we are still mired with poor draft scouting that hasn’t produced enough talent. For that matter, perhaps the coaching and development is a big issue as well. The Tigers should have found a better candidate for GM that could have addressed these issues. As it is, I don’t believe they will contend until 2024 at the earliest, due to lack of talent on the farms.
Almost zero on the international market from the Tigers. That’s where the great teams have made the difference. The draft is a crapshoot and you only get a couple major leaguers out of every draft.
Stop with all the doom and gloom about his contract. Who cares how much he makes. You guys were whining when Albies took a team friendly contract and when two all stars went without signing this past off season. Stop crying about money and talk about baseball. The Tigers should have spent some money and put a decent product on the field. Don’t blame Miggy for that.
I wonder if Scott Adams writes almost daily articles about Chris Davis’ contract? I don’t remember the constant “worst contract ever” comments when he was setting the MLB O’fer record. Unlike Miggy, he’s been healthy.
I haven’t heard anyone “blaming” Cabby for anything. Why on God’s green earth would you NOT accept a quarter billion dollar extension! But Miggy is a classic case of being paid for what you’ve already accomplished and not for what you’re going to do. Mike Illitch (best sports owner EVER) wanted to ensure that Miggy would not only retire a Tiger but go into the HOF as a Tiger as well. Unfortunately it wasn’t good business then or now and because of that we’re gonna have the most expensive singles hitter in MLB history for the next 5 years, and it’s going to get way uglier before it gets better. Mr. I doled out extensions with his heart and not so much his brains so this is what we’re going to have. Hopefully Cabby remains a good teammate and does all he can for the ton of young players that will cut their teeth for the Detroit roster over the next several years!
“Unfortunately it wasn’t good business then or now and because of that we’re gonna have the most expensive singles hitter in MLB history for the next 5 years, and it’s going to get way uglier before it gets better.”
Unfortunate for who? Illich was happy with the deal. Miggy was happy with the deal. Without Miggy, do you really think this team would have invested in someone else? Harper? Machado? If Miggy wasn’t playing you’d probably see Mahtook out there every day. Would it make you feel better as a fan if Miggy were the 1B but getting paid much less? Maybe they could take some of his salary and give it to Trout considering he’s the best player in the game… he deserves it.
Actually yes I’d feel MUCH BETTER if we were paying him less, why wouldn’t I? And to see Mike Mahtook or John Hicks at 1B during a rebuild making $550K rather than $30M? Well DUH! What is your argument with my statement? I said I love Miggy and am happy as hell with what he’s done as a Tiger. But am I wrong? He’s a very expensive singles hitter making crazy money on a team going nowhere. So yeah I think that money could be allocated much better chief.
The only place that money would be “allocated” is in Chris Illich’s pockets. The Tigers had tens of millions of dollars come off the books and they spent a fraction of that on some retreads like Harrison and Mercer, Moore and Ross. Criticize those guys for the money they make. At least Cabrera hits singles… those guys are bums.
Dtownwarrior… I think you get paid too much too…. maybe you should take a cut in pay.
Horse Banana
Cabrera’s “multiple herniated discs” in 2017 has absolutely no relevance to 2019… A herniated disc is not a chronic condition. With proper treatment or even with no treatment at all, it can subside and never reappear for the life of the patient.