Cut Miguel Cabrera. Trade Miguel Cabrera. Send him to rehab without knowing anything about the entire scope of his situation. These are the things I'm hearing.
Here's what I'm saying. We know very little about the magnitude of Cabrera's problem. And we may never fully know everything, but we need to let more time pass to learn about the situation.
To summarize, as has been written ad nausem on this site and in other media outlets, Miguel Cabrera was charged with a DUI on February 16th just days before the start of the Detroit Tigers training camp.
Cabrera had another previous run in with the law in 2009 where police had to detain him following an incident in a Birmingham, MI bar. An important note about this previous incident is that no legal action was ever taken against Cabrera.
Unfortunately, both incidents occurred at terrible times for the organization and fans of the Detroit Tigers. The first during the final series of 2009 (the Tigers ultimately blew the division) and the second on the eve of one of the most anticipated spring trainings in team history.
The arrest report from Tuesday's incident paints Miguel Cabrera as a troubled man and a scary person that doesn't match the reputation of being a great teammate and loving family man.
Cabrera was lucky. What he did was foolish and extremely dangerous. Too many similar incidents end with the loss of innocent life.
Cabrera now has a chance to finally destroy whatever demons he has. Some people will say this is the second time that Cabrera did this. He'll never learn. I'm not ready to write this guy off yet.
How many of you have either been in Cabrera's drunken condition or at the very least witnessed someone in that condition and later ripped on the guy for it? Maybe drawn on him with permanent marker when he passed out or stuck his hand in warm water?
Maybe you woke up in the morning and said, "How did I get home last night?"
Without any consequences, these are just stories from a college kegger, a work party or any other drunken night. Maybe you've never put yourself in Cabrera's scary situation, but you've been in his state of being.
I have been there. When you're younger, it's all a big joke. When you get older, you realize it's not funny. Cabrera is still only 27 years old. When I was 27, I didn't think like I do now at 36.
After Tuesday's incident, however, Cabrera is not going to get off with a slap on the wrist like he did in 2009. Cabrera will face the law and be convicted of a DUI. It's far better than how the situation could have ended for him.
A lot of people don't learn despite the conviction but a lot of people do. Most people I know cite this as an eye opening event. Not all, but most.
The stakes are higher now, and maybe this is the true wake up call for Cabrera that 2009 wasn't. Remember, there was no ultimate penalty for that incident.
To say that Cabrera needs rehab without any knowledge other than what you read is just unfounded conjecture. To say that Cabrera should be released or traded is foolish. To say that Cabrera deserves the opportunity to fix himself is the only acceptable answer.
As for his professional life, he is one of top players in baseball, and like it or not, he represents a $150 Million dollar investment to this organization. Not that they would do otherwise, but the Tigers have no choice but to support their superstar.
It's up to his family, his teammates, the Tigers organization and most importantly Miguel Cabrera to figure what his exact problems are and do whatever it takes to fix them.
All of Cabrera's teammates have expressed great concern and a responsibility to help their teammate. They will be there for him.
The Tigers have always been a stand-up organization, and I trust that they will do whatever they can to assist Miguel during this difficult period. If this means rehab and a missed season, then they will accept that.
Cabrera himself has since expressed remorse and embarrassment about the situation. Being cognizant of one's shortcomings is a positive sign.
Like any human being, Cabrera deserves the opportunity to fix the mistakes he has made. Hopefully, through all of this, he is able to emerge as a better person.
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