Tigers make a blockbuster trade
It’s on days like today, I miss the big signings or trades the Wings would do before the lockout and consequent salary cap. The Detroit Tigers, the other Ilitch owned pro Detroit sports team, made a blockbuster trade sending away their gems in the minor league in exchange for a great player who makes Detroit a World Series contender before the season even starts. I’m no Tigers’ expert and I definitely don’t know much about the other MLB teams so I will leave analysis to other bloggers who know more than I do.
What was the trade?
Detroit got Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.
In exchange, the Florida Marlins received blue chip prospects in Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller, and Mike Rabelo and 3 minor league pitchers.
Pat @ AOL FanHouse:
First up you’ve got Cabrera. He’s 24-years-old and while a lot is made about his weight, check out his Baseball-Reference page and the age similarity comps. Yeah. I know. Fact of the matter is, he could be one of those players that only come along every twenty years or so at the plate, and he’s joining a lineup that’s already got Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, Edgar Renteria, and Placido Polanco. Yikes. I’m not nearly as high on Wilils, but at the age of 25, he’s only two years removed from finishing second in the NL Cy Young balloting. He’s tailed off since then, but he’s still worth taking a flyer on.
In return, the Marlins have extracted a king’s ransom. Miller was the Tigers’ top pick in the 2006 draft and he’s flown through the minors. He’s really a top shelf pitching prospect and has mostly dominated in the minors. He’s struggled a bit in some brief appearances with the big club in Detroit, but remember he’s only a year and a half from being drafted. Maybin is every bit as good of a prospect. He’s flown through the minors since being drafted out of high school in the first round of 2005’s draft. The Marlins couldn’t ask for two higher ceiling players.
Two-big time prospects for two young stars. Trades simply don’t get bigger than this.
Billfer @ The Detroit Tigers Weblog:
When Dave Dombrowski decides to go for it, boy does he go for it. Like in 1997 when he loaded up for a run at the World Series, Dombrowski has quickly put together what has to be considered the best line up in all of baseball. To do it they had to give up 2 of the blue-est of blue chippers. Normally I frown on such a move, but rarely do you get in return a 24 year old with 138 career home runs and a 313/388/542 line in 2700 at-bats either. The Tigers had to have emptied their farm system, but this isn’t for a player on the wrong side of 30. This is someone who has yet to enter his peak. The Tigers have to sign him to a long term deal for this to work, but I can’t imagine they make this trade without some sort of frame work in place.
As for Dontrelle Willis, his 5+ ERA in a pitchers park in the NL is certainly disconcerting. But the Tigers were giving up a player that was likely to be in their rotation next year, and they had to fill that spot and there are certainly worse ways to do it than with Willis.
The Tigers gave up some seriously talented players, but if you’re going to do it, do it the way the Tigers did and get a couple guys in their mid 20’s in return. Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller are tremendous prospects, but Cabrera is a rare, rare player and for the Tigers to acquire him is a major coup.
I know that for me, a Tigers’ fan but not a superfan, it’s an exciting trade and will get me to Comerica Park even moreso than last year (7 games). I can only imagine how excited the superfans must be right now.
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