Cabrera agrees to $152-million extension

Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $152.3-million, eight-year contract, according a personal familiar with the deal.

Cabrera agreed on Jan. 18 to an $11.3-million salary for this season. The new deal adds $141 million over the following seven seasons.

Cabrera will earn $15 million in 2009, when he would have been eligible for salary arbitration. He will average $21 million annually over the next six seasons, when he would have been eligible for free agency.

Cabrera’s average salary of $19,037,500 will be the fourth-highest in the major leagues behind those of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million), New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana ($22.9 million) and Boston left fielder Manny Ramirez ($20 million).

Pitcher Justin Verlander said just having Cabrera around has been a positive for the team.

“What stands out to me is his personality around the clubhouse,” Verlander said. “Everybody knows how good of a ballplayer he is, but he’s also great around the clubhouse and is a good teammate.”

Detroit acquired Cabrera from the Florida Marlins during December’s winter meetings along with pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

Cabrera averaged 32 homers and 115 runs batted in while hitting .318 the last four seasons for the Marlins. The only players to at least match him in their averages in all three categories over that four-year span were Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero.

------

The Tigers put center fielder Curtis Granderson on the 15-day disabled list, meaning he will miss opening day.

A finger on his right hand was broken Saturday when he was hit by a fastball from Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Travis Blackley.

------

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano was told that he has a torn ligament in his pitching elbow and will probably need reconstructive surgery for the second time in his career.

The 29-year-old Capuano injured his elbow in an exhibition Monday against Seattle. He had an MRI exam on Thursday and team physician William Raasch confirmed the diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

------

Shannon Stewart appears to have won the job as the Blue Jays’ starting left fielder after Toronto released Reed Johnson.

Johnson had a breakout year in 2006, batting .319. But a herniated disk problem put him on the disabled list last season, when he hit .238 in 79 games.

“It was tough,” Manager John Gibbons said. “We feel Stewart is going to give us more offense this year and we are going to need that.”

The Blue Jays also said that third baseman Scott Rolen broke a finger during a fielding drill and might not be available for opening day.

------

The Kansas City Royals optioned pitcher Luke Hochevar, the first pick in the 2006 amateur draft, to triple-A Omaha. Hochevar was 0-1 with a 2.25 earned-run average in three spring training games.