In an outrageous but perhaps not totally surprising sign of the times, it took Major League Baseball just a few hours to figure out a wacky way to cash in on Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown.

Major League Baseball is selling dirt from the Kansas City batter's box in which Cabrera completed his historic feat. The asking price? Would you believe $39.99> The authenticated dirt is encased in a clear plaque that also contains Cabrera's batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

Essentially, customers are paying $40 for less than a handful of dirt. Maybe the economy isn't as bad as we thought. But then again perhaps MLB has already done the requisite market research as it sold batches of dirt from Cabrera's 300th career home run in July for $24.99.

If the dirt doesn't do it for you, MLB is also selling a replica lineup card from Wednesday night for $194.99 and a t-shirt for $24.99.

Cabrera will probably need a monster run in the playoffs to see any marketing opportunities materialize for him personally. Bob Dorfman, the executive creative director at Baker Street Advertising, told Bloomberg News that Cabrera can expect a "mid-six-figure boost."

"English isn’t his first language, he's playing in Detroit and baseball is extremely regional," Dorfman said. "So unless you are a big-name star consistently making the postseason in a major market, it’s very tough to get big-time deals."

Cabrera and the Tigers open the playoffs at home Saturday against Oakland.

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