In a huge deal that took the spotlight away from the Boston Red Sox’ pursuit of ace pitcher Johan Santana, Florida would get left-hander Andrew Miller, outfielder Cameron Maybin and four other prospects from the Tigers, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been finalized.
The Marlins also would receive catcher Mike Rabelo and right-handers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern. The players involved must pass physicals for the deal to be completed.
“It’s very serious, but nothing is finalized yet because some issues need to get worked out,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
Florida didn’t approach the Tigers until Tuesday morning. The Marlins told the Tigers they could have both stars for those six players, then Detroit called back about two hours later and agreed, the official said.
“If it does happen, obviously they’re getting two very good players,” said New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who managed the Marlins in 2006. “Miguel Cabrera is one of the finest hitters in the game. And Dontrelle Willis has been one of the premier lefties in the National League.”
Detroit had not been considered a contender for Cabrera or Willis, who both can become free agents after the 2009 season.
Cabrera, an All-Star in each of the last four seasons, would join an imposing lineup that already includes Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco. The Tigers also acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria, a five-time All-Star, in a recent trade with the Atlanta Braves.
“I’m glad we’re in the other division,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “That lineup just got scary.”
Willis, the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, is coming off a down year in which he went 10-15 with a 5.17 earned-run average. He would be part of a solid rotation along with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman as Detroit tries to reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons.
Cabrera and Willis were the last players left from Florida’s 2003 championship team. Unable to secure a new ballpark, the Marlins keep shedding players when they are due to earn huge salaries. Cabrera made $7.4 million this year and Willis $6.45 million. Both were eligible for arbitration and likely to receive raises.
In return, the Marlins would get a pair of highly rated prospects: Maybin was the 10th pick in the 2005 amateur draft and Miller was selected sixth overall the following year.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, was focused on Santana, the Minnesota Twins’ two-time Cy Young Award winner. Finding the price too high, the Yankees ended their efforts to acquire 28-year-old left-hander Santana.
Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner had set a Monday deadline for an agreement with the Twins.
“A deadline is a deadline. It was pretty much done as of this morning,” he said. “He’s a fine pitcher, but there’s a lot of things that go into this. This isn’t fantasy baseball.”
Boston had offered the Twins packages built either around pitcher Jon Lester or outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, but not both.
“I know there’s a lot of speculation that we’re close to something big,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. “Until we reach an agreement, then we’re not that close.”
New York had proposed pitcher Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera. The Twins dropped their demand that pitcher Ian Kennedy be included, but the sides couldn’t agree on a third player.
In other news:
- Power-hitting outfielder Jose Guillen and the Kansas City Royals reached a preliminary agreement on a $36 million, three-year deal.
- NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy and the San Diego Padres reached a preliminary agreement on a $52 million, three-year extension through 2012.
