"Signing Prince Fielder continues to remind Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski of trading for Miguel Cabrera.

In December 2007, the Tigers traded five players -- including star prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller -- to the Florida Marlins for Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

And the deal, Dombrowski said, materialized with owner Mike Ilitch much like Fielder's signing.

"I had brought to his attention that he was a good player out there, a key guy that could be available," Dombrowski told CJCL-AM (590) in Toronto on Tuesday. "But not really with the intent that I thought we'd even trade for him. Because at that point the dollars were very large to extend him ... we had thought.""