LAKELAND, Fla. -- The same root cause accounts for two Tigers changes:
Unlike last season, manager Jim Leyland doesn't have to fret over which high-priced pitcher to leave out of the rotation.
And the club's payroll has gone down by about $30 million from last year, to $105 million.
The cause behind both changes is that, unlike last year, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman and Dontrelle Willis aren't attempting to revive their respective careers while making a combined $35 million on the final year of their contracts.
Entering exhibition play this year, Leyland already has his five-man rotation set: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Phil Coke and Brad Penny.
The manager is now optimistic, not anxious. Without alluding to any of last year's rotation candidates, Leyland said, "This spring is a different set of circumstances than last spring."
Robertson lost the rotation derby. Willis was gone by late May, and Bonderman wasn't re-signed after going 8-10 with a high ERA.
Contact JOHN LOWE: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @freeptigers.
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