It's been eight years since Miguel Cabrera became a Tiger
Miggy and Tigers celebrate 8th anniversary
When Miguel Cabrera woke up on Dec. 4, 2007, he was a 24-year-old third baseman for the then Florida Marlins. When he went to sleep that night, he was the first baseman for the Tigers. All he's done since then is earn six more All-Star selections, raise his lifetime average from .313 to .321, sign a $292 million contract, win back-to-back American League MVP Awards and become the first Triple Crown winner since 1967.
Yeah, we're guessing Miggy and the Tigers are pretty happy to be celebrating their eighth anniversary.
The trade didn't seem all that unreasonable at the time. The Marlins sent Miggy and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for then-prospect Cameron Maybin, current Yankees closer Andrew Miller and a host of other young players.
It's important to keep in mind that:
1. It almost never happened because the Marlins were *this close* to dealing Miggy to the Angels, where he'd currently be teammates with Mike Trout, the mere thought of which should rack your brain.
2. It's brought Tigers fans innumerable moments of joy:
Be sure to wish the Tigers fans in your life a happy anniversary today.