The Detroit Tigers have lost some key players this offseason, most notably starting pitcher Max Scherzer. They still have a talented roster, but their lack of movement this offseason may have opened the door for the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, or Chicago White Sox to challenge for the AL Central crown.
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One of the biggest concerns about the Tigers may not have anything to do with losing Scherzer or any of their other roster moves; they may need to be concerned about Miguel Cabrera. The slugger was the MVP in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, he also became the first AL triple crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski did it for the Red Sox in 1967.
During 2014, however, Cabrera was unable to match his other-worldly form from previous years, in part because of injury problems. Still, the Tigers cannot afford to have Cabrera be just an above-average player; the team counts on Cabrera to be one of the best players in the league, and there are real concerns about whether he can recapture that form.
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According to Bleacher Report, Cabrera just shed his walking boot, which he was expected to be in until next month.
"Hopefully he'll put everything behind him and move forward again," said Tigers athletic trainer Kevin Rand. "At this point, it's too early to speculate. Until he's able to do full weight-bearing work, it's too early to tell what we're going to have."
Cabrera is about to turn 32, and there are real concerns that he is on the wrong side of the aging curve and can't be expected to return to his elite form.
The Tigers will need to create a plan to manage Cabrera's playing time early in the season in order to keep him healthy for the long haul. Even if he has fallen off a little bit, he is still clearly the dominant force in the Detroit lineup, and the team needs him to be at his best if they want to return to the playoffs.
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