Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?

Earlier reports of the Tigers and Dontrelle Willis making good progress on a contract extension were not just rumors. The recently acquired lefty agreed to a 3-year, $29 million deal, with incentives that could push the value above $30 million in total.

Willis had to have realized his value is not what it once was. And though he could certainly re-establish his value, another bad season would have meant a possibly big hit to his value on the free agent market after the '09 season.