Oakland A’s Dragged for ‘Cheap’ Retirement Gift

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Miguel Cabrera has been getting a lot of love from the MLB in his final season with the Detroit Tigers before riding off into the sunset. But fans were left unimpressed with his retirement gift from the Oakland A’s on Thursday night, after the team valued at over $1 billion gave the 40-year-old designated hitter a bottle of wine valued at around $80.

“The Oakland A’s present Miguel Cabrera with his going away gift in his final visit to the Bay Area,” wrote Detroit sportscaster Johnny Kane on X, formerly Twitter, along with a short video clip of Cabrera graciously accepting the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Oakland A’s present Miguel Cabrera with his going away gift in his final visit to the bay area. #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/QIugwVWFuC

— Johnny Kane (@JohnnyKaneBSD) September 22, 2023

Though the bottle had been signed by the whole team, it falls miles short of how other teams have honored the future Hall of Famer in his final season. For comparison, the Yankees presented Cabrera with a painting of his 2013 game-tying home run, along with a custom Yankee Stadium subway sign autographed by the team and a $10,000 check to his Miguel Cabrera Foundation nonprofit that helps young athletes.

Likewise, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a Hollywood star dedicated to Cabrera, while he received a custom surfboard from the Angels, a custom guitar from the Guardians, and cigars, a custom cigar box, and his favorite rum from the Marlins.

In other words, it’s not difficult to see how the A’s gift fell flat. It’s not even a particularly expensive bottle of wine. “This is by far the worst gift I have ever seen,” seethed one fan, while another asked if “the best we could do is a bottle of wine?” For that kind of money, you could get yourself a burger, fries, and whiskey on the rocks at the Newark Airport.

And that was just the start of the ire, as you can see from some of the other reactions, below.

80 dollar bottle of wine from an entire MLB organization as a farewell gift, what an absolutely hilarious franchise this is https://t.co/oXLjH92ckc pic.twitter.com/ozbLNB6Qjt

— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) September 22, 2023

Did the A’s re-gift a bottle of wine to Miggy. I’m dying man ? https://t.co/wx9k7nx59A

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) September 22, 2023

buying Miguel a cheap bottle of wine from their local Meijer approximately 27 minutes before first pitch seems pretty on brand for the Oakland A’s https://t.co/LC5XFT4hIj

— Miguel Cabrera’s Bat (Benson) (@Miggysbat) September 22, 2023

The @Athletics marketing intern shopping 20 minutes before the game https://t.co/AlXCpZCtKT pic.twitter.com/JxQkpg6Xbl

— MeadowMark (@lebatardshowfan) September 22, 2023

One fan even predicted the subpar gift ahead of time.

I bet you the @Athletics give him a simple bottle of wine https://t.co/FQWnlvHoR8

— Gabriel Hernandez (@gamer_athletics) September 19, 2023

Others pointed out that the gift was particularly tone deaf considering that Cabrera is in recovery from alcohol addiction, and spent three months in a treatment center in 2010.

The Oakland A’s gave Miguel Cabrera a $90 bottle of wine as a retirement gift. Not only are the A’s cheap, but Miguel Cabrera is a recovering alcoholic.https://t.co/9nc38zLQQz via @SInow

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) September 22, 2023

The @Athletics honored Miguel Cabrera’s retirement by giving the future Hall of Famer and recovering alcoholic a $79 bottle of wine. pic.twitter.com/Dog4eAIbtO

— Jesse Thorn ?‍♂️ (he/him) (@JesseThorn) September 22, 2023

giving a bottle of wine to an alcoholic is certainly a choice https://t.co/nYmp0w3GDz

— Emily Nyman (@EmSheDoesIt) September 22, 2023

To be fair, the A’s weren’t the only team to gift Miggy an alcoholic gift. In addition to the bottle of rum from the Marlins, the Houston Astros also gave Cabrera a bottle of wine from manager Dusty Baker’s personal vineyard along with a cowboy hat. But if it’s the thought that counts, fans definitely have a reason to be scratching their heads over this one.

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