Revisiting the Wild Tigers-Marlins Miguel Cabrera Trade

With MLB storylines in an expected slump due to the coronavirus crisis, it's really no better time to reflect on one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history.

During the 2007 offseason, the Detroit Tigers -- fresh off a World Series appearance the previous year -- bolstered their lineup and pitching rotation in huge ways when they landed Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the then-Florida Marlins in exchange for six top prospects.

Cabrera joined forces with an already-stacked Tigers lineup that featured Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, and Craig Monroe. Willis, meanwhile, teamed up with a middling pitching staff was led by Justin Verlander,

On this date 10 years ago, the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers.
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) December 4, 2017

Tigers-Marlins Miguel Cabrera Trade Details

Tigers Received: Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis

Marlins Received: Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Burke Badenhop, Dallas Trahern, and Eulogio De La Cruz

Normally when clubs cough up a legion of prospects, the receiving team ends up winning the deal. Not in this instance. Though the Tigers have yet to win a World Series with Cabrera in the middle of their lineup, the trade set Detroit up for a truly amazing four-year stretch of postseason runs in the early 2010s.

From 2011-2013, the Tigers advanced as far as the ALCS. In 2012, they were swept in the Fall Classic by the San Francisco Giants.

Cabrera has since won two MVPs and hoisted the American League Triple Crown in an historic 2012 campaign. In 12 years with Detroit, Miggy has hit .315/.394/.543 with 339 home runs and 1,171 RBI.

Remember when the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers? That was awesome. #ChrisFarleyVoice
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 10, 2013

Now, let's evaluate this trade from the Marlins' perspective, shall we?

Rabelo was out of the MLB after the 2008 season. De La Cruz appeared in nine innings for Florida in 2008 and logged an 18.00 ERA. The former reliever went on to play for both the Padres and Brewers, -- he even landed in Japan in 2010 -- before his career ended after the 2011 season. Trahern never made an appearance in the big leagues

Badenhop was actually quite productive for the Marlins. He pitched to a 4.34 ERA and logged over 290 strikeouts across 250.2 innings of work.

Maybin and Miller are clearly the players that went on to have the best careers. The former is a reliable outfielder and a threat on the bases, and the latter quickly morphed into one of the game's best relievers, posting a ridiculous 1.80 ERA in a four-year stretch from 2013-2016, but the Marlins didn't reap any of those benefits.

Miller helped Tigers land Miguel Cabrera in Marlins trade. Would Detroit have put Kershaw in that same deal? We will never know . . .
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 17, 2014

Who Won the Tigers-Marlins Miguel Cabrera Trade?

There's a reason we labeled it one of the most lopsided deals in MLB history, folks. The Tigers won this exchange in a landslide. In fact, we'd like to apologize to Marlins fans for reminding them of this travesty of a trade.