According to multiple sources (including Peter Gammons) the Detroit Tigers have ironed out a trade with the Florida Marlins that will bring them Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis In return, the Marlins will be getting three minor league prospects as well as Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, and catcher Mike Rabelo.

As mentioned earlier, Maybin and Miller were the Tigers top draft picks in 2005 and 2006 respectively and Miller was previously thought to be untouachable. However, putting Cabrera in a lineup that already features Garry Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez and newly acquired Edgar Renteria and Willis to an already potent rotation was apparently too good for the Tigers to pass up.

Cabrera moving was one of the proverbial "dominoes" that would supposedly set of a string of other deals so check back often as events unfold.

Update: ESPN finally got the story up. Apparently that link on the home page is to an old story about the Yanks and Twins.

Update 2: Fox Sports is now reporting the deal and ESPN got the story linking to the correct article. What a trade!

Update 3: Peter Gammons says the three minor leaguers are all right handed pitchers. The trio includes "Eulogio De la Cruz (3.62 ERA in the minors with a blazing fastball), Dallas Trahern (13-6 between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo) and Burke Badenhop (12-6 between Lakeland and Erie)."

Before anyone gets too excited let me mention this one is probably third or fourth hand information and we all know how accurate these rumors are anyway. With that having been said, there are apparently rumors floating around that, best I can tell, originated from a writer for the Dallas Morning News. The rumor has the Cardinals offering Scott Rolen and Chris Duncan to the Rangers for Hank Blaylock. Obviously Blaylock would be an upgrade from Rolen in terms of their remaining contracts (Rolen owed $36mil while Blaylock checks in at $12mil) and Duncan is apparently thrown in to help balance that out. The author does mention another player would likely be required from Texas and as such it's a bit difficult to gauge the balance of this deal.

As a Cardinal fan it's tough for me be objective on this one as well. Blaylock is obviously younger than Rolen but he's been injury prone as well. Plus, Duncan showed a LOT of promise last year and could end up being the protection in the lineup the Cardinals need for Pujols. If a pitcher was involved somehow, and the Cards ate some of the salary difference, I could be convinced but as it stands here, I'm inclined to say it would favor the Rangers.

Steve Phillips checks in from the winter meetings with this tidbit:

There are rumblings that the Pirates could trade left fielder Jason Bay to the Indians for catcher Kelly Shoppach and left-hander Cliff Lee

At first blush I'd have to say that deal favors the Indians considerably. While Bay hit a career low .247 last year, he's averaged more than 28 home runs and 94 RBI over the past 4 years. Lee on the other hand posted an ERA above 6 last year and Shoppach is solid defensively but doesn't offer much while holding a bat.

On a side note, can anyone remember an offseason this busy in the last 20 years? Hopefully the age of trades has returned!

ESPN.com's Keith Law is reporting that the Tampa Bay Rays have sent Elijah Dukes to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named. I realize Dukes has been a huge distraction and apparently has some serious problems with controlling his temper but the Nats could be getting a HUGE bargain here. Dukes hit only a buck ninety last year but he also smashed 10 home runs in only 52 games. I'm guessing the Rays decided they'd had enough of the talented but troubled prospect.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox enter the Winter Meetings in search of an outfield bat. With Carl Crawford no longer available and Coco Crisp tied up in Johan Santana trade possibilities, that leaves both teams looking at possible Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome for help in the outfield.

It's been a while since the two teams battled it out for anything and I have to admit, I kind of miss it. The Cubs would seem to have deeper pockets than the Sox, but with the ownership status of the team up in the air, it's possible the White Sox could come out on top. Should they fail to land Fukudome, either team would likely be forced to pursue improvement via the trade.

As a Cardinals fan, I can think of one left handed hitting outfielder I wouldn't mind sending north.

Pardon me for a moment while I bask in the glory that has been this hot stove season so far. We've got All Stars' names being thrown around in trade talk as if they were minor leaguers. We've got tons of players with no-trade clauses, we've got the Mitchell report waiting in the wings, and it seems everyone is in the mood to deal. And that was all before the Winter Meetings!

The winter meetings (which get under way today in Tennessee) bring the potential for some incredible deals this year, the likes of which we haven't seen in ages. I have a feeling that once one domino falls (likely Johan Santana being dealt) we'll hear about deals being completed at a frantic pace. So, sit back, relax, and subscribe to The Rumor Mill to keep up to date on all the news and rumors throughout the week. If you'd like rumors delivered daily to your email inbox, simply click here or on the blue envelop in the upper right corner of the page. If you're more partial to a feed reader, we offer an RSS feed subscription option as well. Either way, you'll be locked in to all the latest MLB rumors, news, and notes. Enjoy!