Miguel Cabrera Is, Frankly, Sick And Tired Of Your Trade Rumors

The upcoming trade deadline sees the Tigers in the same narrative that’s been chasing them for years—the window is swinging shut for a roster of aging stars on huge contracts, and this can be the time to deal. The front office has made no secret of their desire to cut payroll while the team’s big names still command trade value, and so this is another season where Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander and J.D. Martinez keep popping up in trade talks.

But Cabrera, for one, is growing weary of it. As he told ESPN:

“If they are going to trade me, trade me,” Cabrera said before Sunday’s victory over the Indians. “If they are going to trade these guys [my teammates], trade these guys. But I don’t like to come here every day and hear about how they are going to trade this guy and trade that guy. Do something, and then that’s it.... We’re human, man. We think, we feel, we feel everything. It’s hard when you hear that every day.”

The final point—that trade gossip concerns actual human beings, rather than simple roster spots—is one that’s seemingly forgotten by front offices, agents and media alike during deadline season. It’s also one that’s not going to change anytime soon. Cabrera can, at least, take solace in the fact that it’d be unlikely for any rumors on him to become reality: the chances are pretty damn slim that the team can find a trade partner for him and the $192 million that he’s guaranteed through 2023, when he’ll be 41. (That’s $192 million.)

[ ESPN]