Miguel Cabrera signed a seven-year extension to his 2007 one-year contract over the weekend. Pending a physical today, he will be $141m richer than he was a week ago. He joins fellow Detroit Tigers Curtis Granderson and Dontrelle Willis with lucrative ink stains on their signing hands last winter. Eyes have popped at each of the contracts, none moreso than Cabrera.

Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Little Caesars pizza chain and the Tigers, has jacked the Opening Day payroll over $95m this season, up from $47m in 2004. His controversial signings of Ivan Rodriguez, Magglio Ordoñez, and Gary Sheffield have yielded a highly competitive team; these newest extensions solidify the future of the franchise on the field.

While Cabrera’s new contract might be the most lucrative, it’s not the most important extension Ilitch has ever given out. No, that honor goes to…

… this man. Dave Dombrowski started his new extension this season (signed in ‘06) that promises to keep him around through 2011. Dombrowski joined the club in 2001 near the bottom and finally got Ilitch to buy into two philosophies: hit absolute bottom to get good and then spend to get great.

After the pain of 2002-2003’s combined 225 losses, the franchise’s spending on major league talent secured them a spot of mediocrity. To push them over the top, though, Ilitch gave Dombrowski another extension: enough rope to hang himself with in the form of a huge minor league draft budget.

Ignoring the nasty phone calls from the League Office, the Tigers threw the slot system into the Detroit River and began paying for “unsignable” talents like Cameron Maybin and Rick Porcello. Maybin plays in Florida now, but his departure secured the talents of Cabrera, who brought us today’s excitement.

Ilitch provides the capital and Dombrowski spends it wisely to build a money-making franchise with playoff revenues and national exposure. For all that, you get the Little Caesars promise this season: drive up any time to Comerica Park and see a fresh, piping hot winning team. (Bring more than five dollars, though.)