It takes years to build a historic reputation, especially in a media hotbed like New York City, but it only took Joe Torre a few words to destroy his.
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There is a new giant in the American League.
While the Yankees and Red Sox jockeyed for Johan Santana, quickly and quietly, Dave Dombrowski traded with his former club to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in exchange for a large package that includes Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
Though the Tigers' lineup is now even more right-handed dominant, it might just be the best in the entire MLB.
1. Curtis Granderson
2. Edgar Renteria/Placido Polanco
3. Magglio Ordonez
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Gary Sheffield
6. Carlos Guillen
7. Placido Polanco/Edgar Renteria
8. Ivan Rodriguez
9. Jacque Jones
Cabrera is still only 24 and certainly one of the best five or six hitters in all of baseball. Over the past four seasons, Cabrera has the 13th best OPS (.947), 7th best average (.318) and 18th most homeruns (126).
His numbers resemble those of the true greats of All-Time, such as Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson and Albert Pujols.
While his weight is and will continue to be an issue (he apparently has committed to losing weight this winter), he has played in at least 157 games in each of the past four seasons.
Cabrera’s BB/SO ratio continues to improve, and he will undoubtedly see many more pitches while hitting in the middle of such a potent Tigers’ lineup.
Willis, meanwhile, is amazingly an afterthought in this deal. He is coming off a disastrous season in which he had a 5.17 ERA and gave up a .919 OPS versus right-handed hitters in 2007. Bluntly, this is an alarming statistic, but for his career it improves to .772.
His stock took quite a substantial hit since his 2005 season in which he finished second in Cy Young voting to Chris Carpenter when he had a 2.63 ERA and 170 strikeouts with just 55 walks.
Like Cabrera, Willis has been around forever but will only be 26 on Opening Day and still has top-10 stuff when he's right.
Grade for the Tigers: A+
The Marlins, with their history of turning Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell into Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez, were not going to give Cabrera and Willis away, high-priced contracts looming or not, and in Curtis Maybin they acquire one of the best young outfielders in all of baseball.
In various levels of minor league ball last year, Maybin had a .932 OPS with 14 homeruns. Even though he is just 20, he will be ready to play a full season in the MLB.
He clearly has all the tools to be a perennial five-tool All-Star, especially if he can reduce his strikeout rate.
Andrew Miller, a 6-6 left-hander, went 5-5 with a 5.63 ERA in 2007. He was the Tigers’ top pick in 2006 and was a College World Series star. He projects to be a very good middle of the rotation starter.
Mike Rabelo is a 27-year-old catcher who hit .256 in 51 games in 2007. He doesn’t project to be anything more than a journeyman catcher.
Eulogio De La Cruz has been in Detroit’s system for six seasons already and has a 3.62 ERA during that stretch. He has a nice K/BB ratio and throws in the high nineties.
Grade for Marlins: C-
Maybin is as can’t-miss as a 20-year-old with limited MLB experience can be, but it is hard to imagine that a more attractive package couldn’t have been pried from the Dodgers or Angels.
