Detroit Tigers Extend Miguel Cabrera

Ladies and gentlemen, please say hello to the new highest paid player in baseball history. Due $44 million over the next two years, Miguel Cabrera agreed to an extension with the Detroit Tigers that would add eight years onto his contract and pay him an additional $248 million. Together, that earns Cabrera, who will be 31 next month, $292 million over the next decade. Cabrera expressed his excitement over getting the deal done, saying he was "thankful because I want to finish my career here. I want to be a Tiger for many years." Unless the Tigers were to trade or release him, Cabrera will get his wish and remain with the team through the next 10 years or until he retires. The previous record for total commitment was the 10-year, $275 million contract signed by Alex Rodriguez in 2007. The yearly average will be around $31 million for Cabrera, which also tops the $30, 714,286 yearly earnings for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Long term deals can always be a cause for concern, but the Tigers felt that Cabrera had earned the contract through his hard work and dedication. Since joining the Tigers organization in 2008, Cabrera has hit 227 home runs and has had five seasons batting .320 or better. The two-time MVP is definitely someone that the Tigers organization feels is at the top of the game of baseball, thus warranting this kind of deal. Now we see if Cabrera can live up to the billing and the contract with his play on the field. There is some concern with the way recent 10-year contract recipients Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez have played after receiving such a long deal, but the organization was just concerned with locking a player of Cabrera's caliber for the rest of his career.