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Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera ended his Hall of Fame career following the 2023 season, retiring after 21 years in the majors. But baseball lifers can sometimes find it difficult to put the game behind them. So it was no surprise that Cabrera was named to Team Venezuela for the 2026 World Baseball Classic as a hitting coach.
However, it seems merely coaching isn’t quite enough for the two-time AL MVP as Cabrera recently decided to continue his playing career two years after his last game with the Tigers. He has agreed to join the Tigres de Aragua of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) for the 2025-2026 season, per the Detroit Free Press.
Cabrera has a history with the team having played for the Tigres de Aragua from 2000-2008. He was able to pull double duty because the LVBP season takes place during MLB’s offseason.
Retired Tigers’ star Miguel Cabrera is taking his talents to Venezuela
The Tigres de Aragua are one of eight teams in the LVBP and the league’s regular season consists of 55 games, which seems reasonable for the now 42-year-old Cabrera. The top five teams take place in a round-robin playoff leaving two squads to compete for the championship. During Cabrera’s tenure with the team, he participated in six championship series, winning four titles, via the Detroit Free Press.
Cabrera’s stats in the LVBP are, predictably, impressive. However, they merely offer a hint of what he would ultimately go on to accomplish in Major League Baseball.
The 12-time All-Star debuted with the Marlins in 2003 and won the World Series as a rookie. He then joined the Tigers in 2008 and would remain with Detroit for the next 16 years, putting together a legendary career.
Cabrera won four batting titles and five Silver Slugger Awards with the Tigers. Most impressively, he became the first player to win the Triple Crown (leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI) in 45 years when he accomplished the feat in 2012.
That same year the Tigers’ slugger won his first MVP award, considered the fifth most impressive MVP season in baseball history. Cabrera utterly dominated, slashing .330/.393/.606 and leading the majors with 44 home runs and 139 RBI.
He’d go on to win MVP the following year, taking the award in back-to-back seasons and cementing himself as not just a Tigers legend but an all-time great.
Cabrera said goodbye to MLB, playing his final game with the Tigers in October 2023. But now he has his sights set on Venezuela’s league. Pitchers beware.
