Miguel Cabrera to play in Venezuela: Tigers legend will be back in uniform at age 42 for winter league

Future Hall of Famer will suit up for Tigres de Aragua for the 2025-26 season

Miguel Cabrera's playing career is not over just yet. On Friday, Tigres de Aragua of the Venezuela Professional Baseball League announced Cabrera will join the team as an active player for the 2025-26 season. LVBP is a winter league that plays a 68-game season spanning October to January each year.

Here is the team's announcement: 

¡El buen hijo regresa a casa!
En el marco del 6️⃣0️⃣ Aniversario la organización Tigres de Aragua, y en nombre de su Pdte Víctor Zambrano, nos llena de mucha emoción anunciar el ingreso oficial de Miguel Cabrera al roster activo, para la venidera temporada 2025-26 de la LVBP. pic.twitter.com/V6y50aOoW1

— Tigres de Aragua (@TigresOficiales) May 23, 2025

Aragua controls Cabrera's winter ball rights even though he has not played for them since the 2007-08 season. In 12 career winter ball games, Cabrera is 15 for 40 (.375) with five doubles, one homer, eight walks, and three strikeouts.

Cabrera, 42, has not played since his farewell season with the Detroit Tigers in 2023. Later in his career, he said he wanted to play winter ball back home in Venezuela one last time before hanging up his spikes for good, and he'll get a chance to do it this winter.

Winter ball does not count toward the five-year waiting period for the Hall of Fame, so playing winter ball this year will not push back Cabrera's eligibility. He will still appear on the BBWAA's Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2028. Cabrera is a first-ballot lock and will be part of the 2029 Hall of Fame class.

Team Venezuela has already announced Cabrera, who retired with 3,174 hits and 511 home runs, will be their hitting coach for the World Baseball Classic next spring.