Cabrera agrees to $152 million deal

Mar 25, 2008 - 8:02 PM DETROIT (Ticker) -- The Detroit Tigers have locked up third baseman Miguel Cabrera through the 2015 season.

The team announced Tuesday that it has agreed to terms on a seven-year contract extension with the 24-year-old All-Star.

The team did not disclose the terms of the deal, but Cabrera's agent told the Detroit Free Press that the contract is worth $152.3 million, which includes the one-year contract he agreed to previously.

"The Tigers organization is extremely pleased to have Miguel Cabrera signed to a long-term deal," Tigers' President David Dombrowski said. "Miguel is one of the premier players in the game at a very young age and we feel he will be a cornerstone player with our franchise for many years."

Cabrera, who would have been eligible for free agency after the 2009 season, was acquired along with lefthander Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins in exchange for Cameron Maybin, southpaw Andrew Miller and four others during the winter meetings in December.

If the reported figures are accurate, the deal ranks as the fourth-richest package in the sport, trailing only Alex Rodriguez ($275 million), Derek Jeter ($189 million) and Manny Ramirez ($160 million).

Cabrera, who agreed to an $11.3 million salary for this season in January, will receive $15 million in 2009 and average $21 million over the remainder of the deal.

A four-time All-Star, Cabrera owns a .313 career batting average with 138 home runs and 523 RBI in five seasons.