Fansided

Each MLB team’s best trade ever

By Joshua Sadlock

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins, 2007

  • Tigers get: Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis
  • Florida Marlins get: Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop, Mike Rabelo, Frankie De La Cruz, Dallas Trahern

The Marlins have a history of making awful deals to send away one of their biggest stars for a package of five or six prospects. In 2007, the Tigers were on the receiving end, landing future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. He had already emerged as a superstar with the Marlins, but somehow Cabrera’s career reached an even higher level in Detroit.

With the Tigers, Cabrera has been a virtual lock to contend for the AL batting title and MVP award. He won the Triple Crown in 2012, led MLB in all three categories of the triple slash in 2013 and has three MLB batting titles. Cabrera is a lifetime .319/.397/.557 hitter who will eventually top 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

The players the Tigers sent to the Marlins never materialized into much of anything in Florida. Miller and Maybin are recognizable names now, but it took being traded again to set them on a path to better MLB careers. Maybin never lived up to his potential as a power-hitting, speedy center fielder, but has had a solid career for five teams. Miller is obviously a dominant presence out of the bullpen now, but he was supposed to be a front-line starter for the Marlins.

The moral of the story here is that trading a future Hall of Famer like Cabrera rarely nets a team equal value. That’s something for the Orioles to think about when they ponder what to do with Manny Machado.

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