8 of the worst contracts in Detroit Tigers history

Detroit Tigers 4th Worst Contract – Miguel Cabrera

Some might argue Miguel Cabrera belongs on the top of this list, and others could say he shouldn’t be here at all. When the Detroit Tigers first acquired Cabrera they signed him to an eight-year, $152-million extension through the 2015 season. Miggy more than justified that money, with six All-Star nods, four Silver Sluggers, three batting titles, two MVP awards, and a Triple Crown. According to FanGraphs he gave the team more than $322 million of production on that deal. And that doesn’t even factor in the value he provided by willingly moving to 3rd base so the team could sign Prince Fielder.

But shortly before the 2014 campaign the Tigers signed Cabrera to a second extension, running from 2016 to at least 2023 at an annual cost of about $31 million. Cabrera had one more classic season in 2016, hitting .316 with 38 home runs and 108 RBIs, but since 2017 he’s been one of the least productive players in baseball. In our opinion that one great season was enough to keep him out of the top three on this list, and there’s also still value in the superstar factor. Cabrera isn’t close to the player he once was, but he’s still tremendously popular among fans, and both Javier Báez  and Eduardo Rodriguez cited Cabrera as a reason for signing with the Tigers.