"Mike Illitch has been called the George Steinbrenner of the American League Central, and Tuesday, the Tigers owner showed his spare-no-expense mentality again.

No one expected Detroit to sign Prince Fielder. Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski dismissed the idea publicly last week after Victor Martinez suffered a potential season-ending knee injury.

But Illitch, the founder of Little Caesars Pizza, is still looking for that first World Series title. He has hoisted the Stanley Cup four times as Red Wings owner, but the Tigers are trying to snap a title drought that stretches to 1984, eight years before he bought the team.

While some mid-market teams such as the Twins tend to shy away from high-profile Scott Boras clients, Illitch has signed several, including Ivan Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Kenny Rogers and Johnny Damon."