New Tigers boss promised bold moves, but he’s wise to punt on this one

DETROIT — New Detroit Tigers president Scott Harris has promised a winter of bold and fearless moves.

But he decided to punt on what would have been the boldest move of all: Nudging aside soon-to-be-40-year-old legend Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera will return to the Tigers for the final year of his contract in 2023 after meeting with Harris and manager A.J. Hinch last week and committing to prepare for a “healthy and productive” final season.

The announcement signals two — and only two — things: Cabrera wants to return and Harris’ first act in his new job wasn’t going to be telling him no.

It doesn’t mean that the Tigers have given up on any hope of competitive baseball until 2024, nor does it indicate a hesitancy to search internally and externally for ways to get more offense out of the designated hitter spot next season.

For now, it’s best to think of Cabrera as the Tigers’ 26th man going into the 2023 season.

Because teams are now limited to 13 pitchers (and thus are obliged to carry 13 position players, instead of 12) Cabrera is not taking anyone’s job. He’s filling a spot that didn’t exist until a few months ago. It’s a spot that the Tigers filled this year with players like Kody Clemens (who’s hitting .148).

If you’re going to treat a franchise icon and future Hall-of-Famer with disrespect (and an involuntary retirement would surely be seen as such), you’d better have a compelling reason for doing so. The Tigers don’t. At least not right now.

It would be another story if Cabrera insisted on playing every day or was unrealistic about his diminished production. But that doesn’t appear to be the case, given that Cabrera has already accepted a reduced role this season with humility and good humor and seems open to doing so again in 2023.

Read between the lines on this quote from Hinch: “I think Miggy is very realistic with where he’s at both health-wise and performance-wise. He’s very much about winning. He wants to finish on a much better note (as a team) than his last few years have been. So I think Miguel is on board with whatever we need to do make things better.”

In other words, if Miggy finds the fountain of youth like his friend Albert Pujols did this summer, then he’s ready to be the everyday DH. If his production is less consistent, he’s OK with a reduced role. And if his health doesn’t allow him to participate at all, he’s not going to try to be a hero at the expense of the team.

If that is in fact the gist of what was decided last week — and it’s doubtful that it was spelled out so explicitly — then it seems exceedingly fair.

It also gives Harris a chance to start his tenure on a less-contentious note. There will be plenty of hard choices still to come once he officially starts his job as president of baseball operations on Oct. 6.

Cabrera, who turns 40 next April, is due to be paid $32 million in 2023, the final season of the massive extension he signed in 2014. After that, the Tigers could buy out his option years in 2024 and 2025 for $8 million. He has previously said that he would might be interested in a coaching role after his playing days are done.

Earlier this summer, Cabrera briefly mused about the possibility of retiring before the expiration of his contract. He then slammed that door shut the very next day.

This has been a frustrating season for Cabrera after a strong start. He reached 3,000 hits in April and was one of the club’s most productive hitters up until the All-Star Break. But a balky knee has taken its toll and he spent time on the injured list with a biceps strain. Over his last 40 games, he’s hit just .152.

He played his 1,000th game at Comerica Park on Sunday, the Tigers’ home finale.

It won’t be his last.

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