"I'm so amped up about being here and knowing I'm going to stay here," he said between talking to friends and doing radio interviews on his cell phone. "It's mind-blowing to know I'm going to play for years to come for a team that had guys like Ty Cobb and Al Kaline."

The current Tigers are pretty good, too.

Willis and All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera were obtained from Florida for six prospects, including outfielder Cameron Maybin and left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller, in one of the offseason moves that made a good team potentially great.

Baseball's busiest team exercised their option on catcher Ivan Rodriguez's contract shortly after the season, then traded for shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder Jacque Jones and re-signed closer Todd Jones and starting pitcher Kenny Rogers.

But none of those deals had the instant impact on the field or with the fan base that the Cabrera-Willis one did, which led to the team selling 3,000 season-ticket packages to new customers.

"The Tigers were already good without me, but hopefully I can play a small part in putting the club over the hump to win another championship," Willis said.

The Tigers, whose last title was in 1984, reached the World Series in 2006 and stayed in contention for a spot in the playoffs until the end of this past regular season.

With the moves they've made, contending for a championship is expected.

"There's good pressure and bad pressure and we have the right kind because we have a good club," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said. "Now, we have to live up to expectations."

Willis is looking forward to paying the Tigers back for their faith in him, proving last year was an aberration.

The 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and 2005 runner-up for the NL's Cy Young was 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA, starting a league-high 35 games.

"I pitched through some injuries, but they checked me out and everything will be OK," said Willis, who was hampered by forearm tightness last season. "I was healthy the last couple of weeks and I think that's what the Tigers saw that made them interested."

The two-time All-Star is 68-54 with a 3.78 in 162 starts over five seasons, including 2005, when he won a career-high 22 games. He turns 26 next month.

Willis joins an established rotation that includes Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson.

"Whoever pitches each night is our No. 1," manager Jim Leyland said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press. "We have to execute, but the rotation looks good and is good."

Willis toured Comerica Park before an evening news conference and checked out the field from the dugout, but he didn't step on the snow.

"I've seen black ice before, but not the fresh stuff like this," the Oakland native said. "I can't wait to pitch for this team, even if the first time is on a day like this."