cabrera, tigers avoid arbitration
Miguel Cabrera entered into a one year contract worth $ 11.3 million with the Detroit Tigers thereby avoiding salary arbitration before the All-star third baseman began his season with the team. Out of the 110 players who had filed for arbitration 42 reached agreements regarding salaries while 15 had settled on terms earlier on. Earlier the Tigers wanted to sign Cabrera on for a new, long-term contract but when that didn’t work they elected to avoid arbitration thereby coming to this one year deal.
Cabrera along with pitcher Dontrelle Willis joined the Tigers as a part of the trade with the Florida Marlins in December. The Florida team received six players including two much talked about prospects left hander Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin.
In the 157 games that the played for the Marlins in 2007 Cabrera hit .320 with 91 runs scored, 38 doubles, two triples, 34 home runs and 119 RBI. He has a batting average of .313 after five seasons with the Marlins.
The Detroit Tigers have also acquired five- time All Star Edgar Renteria after a trade off with Atlanta and entered into a one year contract with pitcher Bobby Seay worth $ 780,000. 24 year old Cabrera can become a free agent after the 2009 season but the Tigers hope that he will stay on.
Cabrera is one of the world’s top sluggers and joins an already strong lineup that boasts the likes of Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco.
The debate is also on about how much Cabrera is worth and how much the Tigers could have paid to have entered into a long term contract with him.
