A year ago, the Detroit Tigers were a preseason favorite to return to the World Series after adding Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis in a trade with the Marlins. This spring they face a critical season, as failure could mean dismantling a team that looked to be a contender for at least a few years.

Last spring, Willis joined a young rotation that seemed to be a cornerstone for years to come, but Jeremy Bonderman hasn’t been the same since the 2006 World Series run. He’ll be returning from surgery to remove a rib linked to a blood clot. Nate Robertson had a dreadful season, and Willis had one that was worse. Even ace Justin Verlander had an off year.

What still looked like an up-and-coming rotation a year ago now is Verlander, Armando Galarraga, the one starter on the staff who made progress in 2008, Bonderman, newly acquired Edwin Jackson and Willis, Robertson or Zach Miner. Right now, the group looks more like a big question rather than the answer to building a contender.

Since 2006, when the Tigers lost a five-game World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, the offense has held up its end of the deal. The pitching staff isn’t trending in the right direction.

Tigers by Season, 2006-08
(AL rank in parentheses)

. . . . . . . . . 2006. . . . . . . .2007. . . . . . . .2008
Runs. . . . . . 822 (5). . . . . . 887 (2). . . . . . .821 (4)
HR. . . . . . . .203 (3). . . . . . 177 (6). . . . . . .200 (2)
OPS. . . . . . .777 (7). . . . . . .802 (3). . . . . . .784 (3)

Record. . . . 95-67 (3). . . . .88-74 (5t). . . . 74-88 (12)
ERA. . . . . . .3.84 (1). . . . . .4.57 (9). . . . . .4.90 (12)
Opp SLG. . . .405 (2). . . . . .427 (9). . . . . . .437 (13)

It’s remarkable a team’s outlook can change so much from one year to the next. A drop-off in the performance of the pitching staff was to be expected after a remarkable 2006 season in which Kenny Rogers was at his best and youngsters Verlander and Bonderman excelled. In 2008, however, there wasn’t a bounce back in the right direction.

What also makes 2009 such a critical year is the pending free agency of Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco. With Gary Sheffield near the end of the line, a year from now, the front office could be rebuilding around Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Gerald Laird and Brandon Inge.

There’s certainly enough offensive talent on the 2009 roster to run away with the American League Central. . . if the pitching staff could pitch more like it did in 2006. That seems unlikely. Edwin Jackson was the one addition to the rotation, and surprisingly the Tigers sat out the offseason closer bonanza. Brandon Lyon was signed on Saturday, probably to replace the retiring Todd Jones as the closer.