Some thoughts and details on contracts around the game…
- Some executives in baseball wonder if the Tigers will try to make Miguel Cabrera's contract non-guaranteed, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The first baseman, who was arrested and charged with driving under the influence last night, has five years and $106MM remaining on his long-term deal with the Tigers. The Mets unsuccessfully attempted to convert Francisco Rodriguez's contract into a non-guaranteed deal after his legal trouble in 2010.
- Pedro Feliz can opt out of his deal and become a free agent if he isn't on the Royals' Opening Day roster, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Alternatively, he can go to the minors for $75K.
- Russell Branyan has a similar clause in his deal with the Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
Although it’s doubtful that the Tigers would resort to something like that, I bet it would be a tactic that would screw Cabrera’s head on right really quick. Threatening to take a significant portion of his contract back I think would get his head in the right place and he would start taking his problem a little bit more seriously.
$106 million or alcohol? The choice that needs to be made seems pretty damn obvious to me.
It does seem obvious, but as an alcoholic who is sober, it is an incredibly difficult thing to keep under control. Anybody who doesn’t suffer from alcoholism isn’t going to ever fully understand the difficulties of staying sober.
I feel Cabrera’s pain. I hope he can sort his life out, he has amazing talent and natural ability.
I completely agree on all counts sir. I’m hoping he does too.
having the kind of money Cabrera has I’m wondering why he even feels the need to drive when he’s gonna drink. A driver or a cab would be a drop in the bucket when you have the kind of coin these guys have. To actually take a slug from the bottle right in front of the cop? Stupid.
Oooooor, it would make Cabrera angry so that he starts complaining in the press and causing a stink, irrevocably ruining the relationship between him and the ballclub and resulting in a trade where the Tigers get cents on the dollar. No thanks. Just handle it internally, get him some help, and try to move on. Mickey Mantle drank to excess too, and he put up 1.000 OPS’s pretty much every year until he was far older than Cabrera. He may not be Mantle, but he isn’t that far off as a hitter. Just get him some help as quietly as you can. He needs it and, more importantly, I as a Tigers fan need it.
Eh careful there. Mantle had a 172 OPS+ for his career, a mark Cabrera exceeded last year, but it still leaves him 27 points short of Mantle on that metric.
Yeah, I was careful, I think.
“He may not be Mantle, but he isn’t that far off as a hitter.”
Depends on how you define ‘not far off’. I guess I just meant that he’s always one of the best hitters in the league. He doesn’t need to be any more similar to Mantle for my point to be made. I needed a drinker. Okay, Paul Waner. There, you happy?
there is always the restricted list which seems more likely. It gets miggy to get his act right or walk away and it allows the tigers to not have to pay him untill he is healthy. this is one of those times where i wish bud would actually do something and suspend players for acting like this. Yes he may have an alcohol problem but he is a key figure for the tigers, the mlb, and for latin players alike. He should not be allowed to act like this and should be punished for it
LETS ALL GET WASTED WOOOOOO!!!!
They shouldn’t do it even if they do have the option to void the contract. Unlike Tex, Howard, and other massive 1B contracts, Cabrera will still be in his prime at the end of his contract. A 5-6 WAR player is totally worth $21.2 million per annum.
if he gets his drinking undercontroll yes dont void it but if he cant which he may be proving that he cant they have every right to not void it and considering from a PR stand point it might not be a bad idea to end their relationship with him
Oooooor, it would make Cabrera angry so that he starts complaining in the press and causing a stink, irrevocably ruining the relationship between him and the ballclub and resulting in a trade where the Tigers get cents on the dollar. No thanks. Just handle it internally, get him some help, and try to move on. Mickey Mantle drank to excess too, and he put up 1.000 OPS’s pretty much every year until he was far older than Cabrera. He may not be Mantle, but he isn’t that far off as a hitter. Just get him some help as quietly as you can. He needs it and, more importantly, I as a Tigers fan need it.
dont you dare compare mantle to miggy..first off different players…and a totally different era
I couldn’t think of an alcoholic first baseman that was a good enough hitter. Check the same comment above and you’ll see I switched it to Hack Wilson or Paul Waner. I guess those guys were outfielders.
Anyway, the point still stands. If he gets a little help he should be fine, at least as a hitter. That’s all I was saying. My point was that fiddling with his contract or generally dragging his name through the mud would likely not be worth it. If it was Carlos Guillen it woul dbe worth it. I know it sounds cold, but I’m a Tigers fan, and I want Cabrera to be happy. There are a lot of alcoholics that need help in the world, and my heart goes out to all of them, but we’re talking about a franchise hitter here.
THANK YOU!!!!! im sick of lets feel bad for these guys. They have millions and millions of dollars! why cant they call a taxi? I would not be surprised at all if the MLB has a contract like the NFL and has car services for the teams to dirve their players to and from bars. Taxis cost 50 dollars max…..A nice car like a town car or limo a few 100…. a really nice limo like a sretch hummer(baller) a few grand….paying one of your friends to drive you is free considering you give them money all year long….there are way too many chances for a guy who is a known and rich as miggy to get home safe without driving no more excuses for this guy..yes he has a problem it sucks i feel bad for him and hopefully he gets better but knock it off even major league minimum is what 400K thats more than enough to get a cab
Zero chance they void his contract or make the remaining years non-guaranteed. ZERO
Hi my name’s Miguel and I’m an alcoholic.
*echo* Hi Miguel
i dont think the DUI is his biggest problem its the resisting arrest charge now too
Wait…Peter Happy signed with the Royals?
0% chance that the Tiger’s attempt to make his contract non-guaranteed. Anyone suggesting as much clearly has no pulse on the personality of the Tiger’s organization, front office, or Mike Illitch. This is a team that has never take a player to arbitration under DD. They don’t low-ball players, even guys like Valverde and Damon that don’t have other suitors that can pay them. They don’t hold anyone hostage over money issues and pay everyone fairly. They don’t keep players in the minors to hold their service time clock back. They are respectiful to players at every turn, even guys like Willis who gave them nothing in return for their money. Sorry, anyone that thinks the Tigers will resort to this, is clearly mis-informed.
So many teams would be jumping at the chance to get Miguel, this is one of those trades that was so lop sided it was ridiculous,other than saving money, I can’t Believe the Marlins gave him away. The Tigers putting MCab on the open market will show them what kind of special player they have and what kind of player the Marlins gave away.
they had to do it, they knew for a fact they were not going to be able to afford him much like the lowell becket for hanley trade…yes looking back on how good hanram is the bosox might not have done that deal but the fish knew they were not going to be able to afford becket and lowell small market teams have to do it unless they can convince the players to take team friendly deals
All these comments about Miguel, what about Russ Branyan? The dude sees what’s happening in St. Louis and gets a contract with plenty of outs so he can capitalize on that First Base hole they’re gonna have next season. Brilliant.