Cabrera Claims He's Not An Alcoholic; Jim Leyland Claims He's Never Smoked

Ok, obviously the second part of that title isn't true but I'm sure you see the point I'm trying to make here.

Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitting first basemen in baseball. He's coming off arguably the best season of his career. In 2010 Cabrera batted .328 with 38 HR and led the league in RBI with 126. Throw in a league leading OBP of .420, 111 runs scored, and an incredible WAR of 6.9 and you have a more than a valid argument that Miguel Cabrera and not Josh Hamilton deserved the MVP. (Cabrera finished second.) There is no question that Cabrera is a unique talent.

He's also in a state of denial more massive than our national debt.

Upon arriving for Tigers spring training in Lakeland, Florida this morning, Cabrera immediately faced the media and issued a public apology for his February 16th arrest for driving under the influence and resisting arrest. Thankfully he's planning to undergo treatment through the MLB's players union. That's certainly encouraging news but what was perplexing was this statement from Cabrera:

"I have it under control. It was just a bad decision. I plan to continue with treatment. I made a mistake this time, and all I can do is continue treatment."

Cabrera basically said everything except, "I can stop whenever I want to." This is a textbook reaction from someone who doesn't want to admit that he's an alcoholic. I'm sorry but when you get caught driving drunk without a license (he only has a permit), resist arrest, and drink liquor straight from the bottle in front of the cops, it's not just a "mistake."

What's sad is that this is not the first incident for Cabrera. On October 3rd, 2009 Cabrera spent the entire night binge drinking, got into an altercation with his wife, and had to be taken in for questioning. Just last August TV station WXYZ obtained a police report involving Cabrera. Said reported alleged that Cabrera got into a verbal confrontation with people in a restaurant outside Townsend. He threatened physical violence and even claimed he had a gun.

And now we have this latest incident. What's befuddling is that Cabrera also stated the February 16th incident "was out of the ordinary." Anyone with a modicum of self-awareness can see that this is patently not the case. There is a chain events involving Miguel Cabrera that establishes a pretty strong pattern of abuse.

On a positive note, the Detroit Tigers front office is apparently willing to do whatever it takes to see Cabrera clean and sober. Treatment for Cabrera will continue throughout the 2011 season. Cabrera is in the midst of an 8 year $152.3 million contract so it's clear the Tigers' interest is financial as well as personal. And why shouldn't it be? Detroit has invested a lot of time and dollars in the 27 year old first baseman. I believe they've earned the right to intervene and Cabrera seems to be on board. Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski even stated that the Tigers were willing to allow Cabrera a companion on the road, ala Josh Hamilton, to help him steer clear of drugs and alcohol.

However, until Cabrera stops saying he's made "mistakes" and admits he has a problem, all the assistance and support in the world won't amount to a pile of dirt on the pitcher's mound.

VMart Signs with Tigers

ESPN Boston just reported that Victor Martinez has come to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a 4 year $50M contract.  I can't say I'm surprised he's leaving Boston.  The Red Sox didn't exactly strain themselves to re-sign him.  Late in the 2010 season, the Red Sox reportedly offered Martinez a 2 year deal worth $21M.  Basically to save face, the Red Sox front office made an offer they knew he would turn down.  During the offseason, they reportedly offered him a choice of a 3 year $36M or 4 year $42M contract.  Knowing he could probably do better on the open market, Martinez declined.  

I don't blame the Red Sox for being apprehensive.  As I've mentioned before, 31 year old catchers with questionable defensive and game calling skills, aren't exactly the type of player that a forward thinking front office (like the Red Sox) are eager to sign or re-sign.  Don't get me wrong.  Martinez carries a significant amount of value as an above average offensive catcher.  While he projects to carry his above average bat for another 2-3 seasons, many baseball experts expect him to have to move to either first base or designated hitter within the next season or two.  As good as VMart has been offensively, his bat isn't strong enough to play at either first or DH.  As it stands, much of his value is tied up in his ability to play catcher.  In the end, this contract will most likely end up being a loser for the Tigers, especially if he falls prey to the typical aging curve that plagues most career catchers. 

Where do the Red Sox go from here?  With Martinez and John Buck taken, the position is pretty shallow.  Option 1 is to go the free agent route.  If they go that route, they'll have to hold their noses as they sign one of the remaining available catchers.  AJ Pierzynski is the best available of the remaining catchers. 

Option 2 is make a trade.  The Angels and Rockies have shown that they have little interest in offensively oriented catchers Mike Napoli and Chris Iannetta.  (Iannetta many be difficult to pry away now that Oliva has been traded to the Blue Jays--and subsequently released.)  While both catchers have clear strengths, they provide similar weaknesses that outgoing Victor Martinez possessed.  The Pirates also are potential trade partners as they likely don't have enough at bats for both Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit.  The Pirates are in the middle of their perpetual rebuilding mode, so it's likely they'd be interested in making a deal.

Option 3 is to go into the season with Jared Saltalamacchia as the starting catcher.  Salty has a ton of potential, but he's yet to show he can handle everyday catching duties in the major leagues.  Going with Salty is a huge risk.  Even if they go this route, they'll need to invest in a strong backup catcher that can take over if Salty proves he's not up to the challenge.  

Replacing Martinez is going to be a challenge.  In the long run, while it's almost certainly the right move, it's not going to be a popular one.  Still, the Red Sox have won two championships and made six playoff appearances since 2003 making decisions that weren't always popular.  As a Red Sox fan, when it comes to player moves, it's "In Theo We Trust" or bust.

Tigers Overpay for Utility Infielder

According to Enrique Rojas, Jhonny Peralta and the Detroit Tigers are very close to coming to terms on a new contract:

"Jhonny Peralta and the Detroit Tigers are close to completing an agreement for two years and $11.25 million, according to a source close to the negotiations.

(snip)

On Tuesday, the Tigers declined a $7 million club option for 2011 that was part of Peralta's contract agreement with the Indians."

Peralta, who doesn't exactly provide Gold Glove quality defense, put up back-to-back below average offensive seasons, and provided only 1.2 and 1.4 WAR in 2009 and 2010 respectively.  In reality, Peralta's shown that he's not a player worthy of receiving 600 plate appearances per season.  It makes perfect sense why the Tigers declined his option.  Why pay a player $7M when he won't provide enough value to justify his contract? 

On this flipside, I understand why the Tigers would be interested in re-signing Peralta to a deal with a lower annual average salary.  While Peralta's glove is below average, it's good enough to play at 2B, 3B, and SS.  A utility infielder with the ability to knock the ball out of the park is a valuable asset. 

That said, I'm baffled as to why the Tigers would think that a two year contract worth $5.5M per season is an appropriate for a player with Peralta's skill set.  Peralta's value is at an all time low.  He's going into this age-29 season coming off of back-to-back seasons where he's slugged below .400.  Had the Tigers been more patient and allowed the market for Peralta to develop, they probably could've signed him to a one year deal worth $2.0-2.5M.  Plus, there are better options in the free agent marketplace for utility infielders.  Juan Uribe, Bill Hall, Jerry Hairston, and Maicer Izturiz will all provide similar levels of value, while commanding lower annual average salaries.