When the Florida Marlins won the World Series in 2003, they were using 20-year-old prodigy Miguel Cabrera in the outfield and batting him cleanup. It’s five years later, and the kid is all grown up.
Cabrera, now one of the five best hitters in baseball, outgrew the payroll structure in Florida. He has moved to the hugely ambitious Detroit Tigers, who are increasing their payroll from $95 million to $133 million to accommodate him, Dontrelle Willis and shortstop Edgar Renteria.
Cabrera will hit alongside Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield and Carlos Guillen in a lineup that features Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco at the top. Don’t be surprised if one of the Detroit run-producers winds up as the American League?s MVP.
Here’s a look at some other high-impact players who have switched teams:
JOHAN SANTANA
Mets
He’s durable, he’s nasty. He’s your National League Cy Young Award frontrunner until further notice (possibly forthcoming in 2012).
FRANCISCO CORDERO
Angels
He not only fills Cincinnati’s need for a closer but also (along with the hiring of Dusty Baker) sends a signal that ownership is serious about competing.
TORII HUNTER
Angels
A lot of teams needed Hunter more (including the White Sox), but he makes the already- strong Angels a good bet to unseat the Boston Red Sox. Not many balls are going to fall between Hunter, Gary Matthews Jr. and Vlad Guerrero.
DELMON YOUNG
Twins
Like Cabrera, he’s the rare elite hitter traded at a young age (22). He should help Minnesota regroup faster than expected after the loss of Hunter and Santana.
DAN HAREN
Mariners
He was the AL’s starter in last year’s All-Star Game and joins a rotation that already includes Cy Young Award winners Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson.
ERIK BEDARD
Mariners
Seattle paid a steep price to get the talented lefty from Baltimore.
MIGUEL TEJADA
Astros
He better deliver on the field as his trade from Baltimore came one day before he was mentioned in the Mitchell report. He’s also in danger of criminal charges for lying to federal investigators in the 2005 contempt of Congress investigation centering on Rafael Palmeiro.
ORLANDO CABRERA
White Sox
He not only upgrades the shortstop position but could be valuable as a leadoff man. He scored 101 runs in 2007 and could add to that total hitting in front of Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.
DAVID ECKSTEIN
Blue Jays
His grinder style of play was essential for championship teams in Anaheim and St. Louis. He and former St. Louis teammate Scott Rolen could help give Toronto a personality.
ANDRUW JONES
Dodgers
The former Brave has something to prove after hitting .222 with 26 homers last season.
BRAD LIDGE
Phillies
It has been a while since he was a top closer, but he could benefit from new surroundings.
AARON ROWAND
Giants
Life after Barry Bonds will be about running into walls and through catchers.
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CHICAGO STORY
CURTIS GRANDERSON
Born to be a big-leaguer, the Illinois-Chicago product went to the World Series in his rookie season and emerged as one of the game’s best young players in his second season. Like NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, he delivered 20-plus doubles, triples, homers and stolen bases?a feat only accomplished twice previously in major-league history. How did the White Sox and Cubs let this homegrown star get away?
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
INDIANS
Last year: 96-66, 1st; beat Yankees in first round; lost to Boston in ALCS.
Manager: Eric Wedge.
Payroll: $75 million.
Headliners: C.C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Fausto Carmona.
Additions: Madahide Kobayashi, Jamey Carroll.
Losses: Kenny Lofton, Trot Nixon, Chris Gomez.
Health watch: Left-hander Juan Lara, a candidate for a bullpen spot, is out for the season after surviving a near-fatal car wreck in the Dominican Republic.
X-factor: Cliff Lee has two years and $10.5 million left on his contract but enters the spring no higher than seventh among starting pitchers. He and Jeremy Sowers will push rookie Aaron Laffey for the fifth starter’s spot.
Tipping point: Both Sabathia and Carmona looked fatigued in October after combining for 486 innings. How they bounce back could determine if Cleveland can repeat.
TIGERS
Last year: 88-74, 2nd.
Manager: Jim Leyland.
Payroll: $133 million.
Headliners: Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Ivan Rodriguez.
Additions: Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria, Jacque Jones.
Losses: Sean Casey, Chad Durbin, Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Neifi Perez, Chris Shelton, Jair Jurrjens.
Health watch: Joel Zumaya, the best setup man in the majors in 2006, won’t help for at least the first half after having shoulder surgery from an injury suffered evacuating from California?s wild fires.
X-factor: Willis was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA for Florida last season. He joins 43-year-old Kenny Rogers to give the Tigers a bookend set of finesse lefties.
Tipping point: With Cabrera hitting next to Ordonez, Sheffield and Carlos Guillen, the Tigers could pass the Yankees as baseball’s highest scoring team. But they will win only if the pitching staff rebounds after its ERA jumped to 4.58 from 3.84 in 2006.
TWINS
Last year: 79-83, 3rd.
Manager: Ron Gardenhire.
Payroll: $55 million.
Headliners: Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young.
Additions: Young, Adam Everett, Brendan Harris, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber, Jason Pridie, Mike Lamb.
Losses: Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Jason Tyner.
Health watch: Francisco Liriano, who was 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA as a 22-year-old in 2006, is ready to go after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
X-factor: Gomez, a slash-and-run sort of player, is under the gun because he was acquired from the Mets in the Santana trade and because he’s replacing Hunter in center field.
Tipping point: Historically, Minnesota teams with low expectations have been good bets to surprise. If Liriano and a slimmed-down Boof Bonser can anchor the rotation, this group could have a fun season.
WHITE SOX
Last year: 72-90, 4th.
Manager: Ozzie Guillen.
Payroll: $118 million.
Headliners: Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Javier Vazquez, Bobby Jenks.
Additions: Orlando Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Scott Linebrink, Octavio Dotel, Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez.
Losses: Jon Garland, Darin Erstad, Scott Podsednik, Alex Cintron, Mike Myers, David Aardsma.
Health watch: Third baseman Joe Crede is returning from back surgery. Quentin is recovering from shoulder surgery. Both are expected to be near full speed.
X-factor: Jose Contreras, the No. 1 starter for the White Sox in the 2005 postseason, has gone 14-26 since the middle of the 2006 season. He and Buehrle are all that’s left from the World Series rotation, and the Sox are crossing their fingers about a return to form from Contreras.
Tipping point: With Cabrera and Swisher hitting in front of them, Konerko, Thome and Jermaine Dye should be productive. If all three drive in 100-plus, it could be an interesting season.
ROYALS
Last year: 69-93, 5th.
Manager: Trey Hillman.
Payroll: $65 million.
Headliners: Gil Meche, Alex Gordon, Jose Guillen.
Additions: Guillen, Miguel Olivo, Yasuhiko Yabuto, Ron Mahay.
Losses: Mike Sweeney, Reggie Sanders, David Riske, Emil Brown, Odalis Perez, Jason LaRue, John Thomson.
Health watch: No major concerns.
X-factor: Zach Greinke bounced back from a 2006 season spent treating psychological issues to compile a 3.69 ERA over 122 innings. He appears poised for a breakout season as a No. 2 or 3 starter.
Tipping point: After winning in Japan, Hillman brings a new level of energy to a franchise that has relied on internal growth. The key for a step forward is getting run production from Gordon, Mark Teahan, Billy Butler and Ryan Shealy.
