Cabrera gets record payday

Associated Press

LAKELAND, Fla.

This is one number put up by Miguel Cabrera that is not subject to debate.

The Triple Crown winner agreed Friday to the richest contract in American sports, a $292 million, 10-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.

“I want to finish my career here. I have worked hard to get better, and Detroit is like a house for me,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera has won the last two AL MVP awards, both times beating out Angels phenom Mike Trout in votes that set off heated disputes in the baseball world.

Those in Cabrera’s corner claimed his fearsome hitting stats and triple-digit RBIs were worthy. Those touting Trout argued he was a better all-around player and pointed to the value of his WAR, sabermetric for wins above replacement.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski and manager Brad Ausmus stood by Cabrera, flanking him for the announcement at the Tigers’ spring training complex.

“He’s on track to be one of the greatest players in the history of baseball,” Dombrowski said. “He’s done a lot for the team and a lot for Detroit.”

Cabrera was due $44 million over the final two years of his $152.3 million, eight-year contract. The new agreement incorporates that money and adds $248 million guaranteed over the following eight years, including an option buyout.

Cabrera turns 31 next month and has helped the Tigers win three straight AL Central championships. A slugger with power to all fields and still very much in his prime, he is among seven players to hit at least .320 with 365 homers and 1,260 RBIs, joining Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols and Stan Musial, according to STATS.

The deal came shortly before opening day in Detroit, on Monday against Kansas City at Comerica Park, and soon after Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer turned down the team’s long-term contract proposal.

The Tigers are again among the favorites to go far this season. Cabrera won a World Series ring with the Marlins as a 20-year-old rookie and is trying to bring a title to Motown for the first time in three decades.

Cabrera will make $43,195 per plate appearance under the deal, based on his yearly average of 676 plate appearances during six seasons with the Tigers. That’s higher than the average U.S. yearly wage of $42,498 in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration.

His new salaries are $28 million apiece in 2016 and ’17, $30 million in each of the following four years and $32 million annually in 2022 and ’23. The contract also includes $30 million options for 2024 and 2025 that would become guaranteed if Cabrera finishes among the top 10 in MVP voting in the previous season. If Cabrera doesn’t finish in the top 10 in ’23, the following year becomes a $30 million team option with an $8 million buyout.