The Detroit Tigers are mired in a rebuild for the time being, as they try to get back into the thick of things in the struggling AL Central. However, they'll have their biggest name for the foreseeable future, as Miguel Cabrera said that he thinks he'll "finish [his] career" a Tiger as he comes back from a ruptured left bicep that ended his season after 38 games.
"I think I'll finish my career here. It's been a lot of good years here in Detroit," Cabrera said, via Kellie Rowe. "Right now we come in with a new process. We gotta deal with this process, so I'll go out there and try to play hard and (try) to be better every day."
Cabrera has been with the Tigers for the past 11 seasons, since he was traded from the Marlins in his prime before the 2008 season. He won back-to-back MVPs with the Tigers in 2012 and 2013, and they made the playoffs between 2011 and 2014. He signed his eight-year, $248 million extension with the Tigers in 2014. In 2017 and 2018, he has struggled with injuries.
Cabrera's contract makes him largely immovable even if the Tigers did want to make a deal. He's 36, and the first team opt-out will come in 2024 when he's 43. The good news for the Tigers and their fans is that he seems happy to play for as long as he can, and when he's healthy and not fighting through injuries he can still hit. It's been a frustrating few years for Cabrera and the Tigers, but they'll try to at least start to turn things around this year.
