On Friday, news broke that Detroit Tigers‘ future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera had been selected to play in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game. Cabrera was not voted into the game as he was the previous 11 times he was chosen to play in the Midsummer Classic, but this time he is an All-Star thanks to a new clause in the CBA that allows for the MLB commissioner to pick one (or more) player(s) from each league based on their career achievements.
Cabrera and fellow future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals were selected by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred based on their outstanding achievements throughout their careers.
“I am delighted that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have agreed to participate in the All-Star Game,” Rob Manfred said. “Albert and Miguel are two of the most accomplished players of their generation. They have also represented the baseball traditions of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela with excellence for the last two decades. Albert and Miguel are two all-time greats whose achievements warrant this special recognition.”
Will Miguel Cabrera change his mind about when he will retire?
The hope of many, including Miguel Cabrera, was that he would be selected to the MLB All-Star Game based on the season he is currently having with the Detroit Tigers (he was batting .300 at the time) but that was not the case.
If Cabrera sticks to his guns, he will only have one more opportunity to be an All-Star following this season as he plans to retire when his contract with the Tigers expires following the 2023 season.
“I’m going to play two more years. I think that’s enough. I will be happy with 20 years in the big leagues if I can make it. I would say thank God for the opportunity and say two more years and I’m done,” Cabrera in August of 2021, per the Detroit News’ Chris McCosky.
But could Cabrera change his mind about retiring after the 2023 season if he is still able to hit around .300 against Major League pitching? Of course, he COULD but WILL he change his mind about when he will retire?
One thing to keep in mind is that Miggy will turn 40 years old just after the start of the 2023 season and he knows very well that he is just a shell of what he once was, which is not a knock as Father Time catches up to every athlete not named Tom Brady.
On the other hand, it is pretty clear that Cabrera is still having fun playing the game he loves and it does not look at all like he is just going through the motions to finish out his contract.
[irp posts=”283271″]
That being said, I just don’t see Miguel Cabrera playing past the 2023 season. I predict his batting average will slip during the second half of the season and that will be frustrating for him as he no longer contributes in the field.
If the Tigers are on the verge of winning a World Series, I could see Cabrera wanting to stick around for one more season on a team-friendly contract but I don’t think he would do that at the cost of hurting the team on the field.
Folks, enjoy watching Miguel Cabrera play in the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game because it will almost certainly be the final time we see him there.
Nation, do you believe Miguel Cabrera will retire following the 2023 season?
