Miguel Cabrera has been the face of the Detroit Tigers since they acquired him before the 2008 season, but with the franchise boasting a large payroll featuring a lot of players over the age of 30, the two-time American League MVP could find himself on the trade block this offseason.
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Tigers Open to Trades
Friday, Oct. 21
Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the Tigers are willing to listen to offers for everyone on their roster, including Miggy.
The key phrase there is "willing to listen." There's a difference between taking a phone call when an opposing general manager asks about a player and actively shopping a player.
The Tigers are in a difficult spot right now. They won 86 games in 2016, finishing two losses out of a wild-card spot, so it would be easy for general manager Al Avila to make a few tweaks in hopes of making a playoff push next season.
Per MLB.com's Jason Beck, Avila said at his end-of-year press conference the Tigers want to add more youth and be able to run an organization "without having to go over our means."
At some point, though, the front office can't continue to spend so much money. The Tigers spent $198.5 million on payroll in 2016 and have $176.2 million on the books for 2017, per Cot's Baseball Contracts.
Cabrera is signed for $212 million through 2023 with vesting options for 2024 and 2025 at $30 million per season, so if he makes it all the way through his deal, he will be 42 years old.
While he is still a great hitter, posting his eighth straight season with at least a .300 average and .500 slugging percentage, owing a player who is already 33 years old that much money over such a long period is a way to cripple the payroll.
It's a bad time to trade Cabrera because of his age and what he's still owed, especially since the Tigers could seek multiple top-tier prospects in exchange for him. But Avila has to try whatever he can to help the team keep pace with the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.
With players such as Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Jordan Zimmermann all on the wrong side of 30, this Tigers are built around an aging core that's not going to have many years of peak performance left.
A team needs to take drastic measures when it is spending more than it ever has without making a playoff appearance since 2014. Exploring the market for a hitter like Cabrera would fall into that category.
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