DETROIT -- The biggest move left in the Tigers' offseason won't be who they add in the final weeks leading to Spring Training, but how much progress they can make toward keeping ace Justin Verlander. They're finally moving ahead on that front.
The Tigers have started negotiations with Verlander on a long-term deal. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports cited a source saying they've discussed a five-year contract worth around $75 million, with Verlander seeking a sixth year guaranteed rather than as an option.
Team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski had the same response Friday that he has had pretty much throughout the offseason: He wants to keep Verlander in Detroit for a long time. He said much the same thing Thursday in a radio interview with WDFN-AM 1130, adding that he sees no advantage negotiating in public.
Verlander's agent, Michael Milchin, was traveling Friday and unavailable for comment.
Both the Tigers and Verlander have been quiet about negotiations. Verlander said last week on the Tigers' winter caravan that negotiations on a long-term deal hadn't gotten far, and he expected they'd try to do a one-year contract to avoid arbitration before talks on a longer contract picked up.
The two sides traded arbitration figures a week and a half ago -- Verlander filing for $9.5 million this year, while the club came in at $6.9 million. A hearing would take place next month if the two sides can't reach a deal, but that might not be necessary now.
If the contract parameters sound familiar, they're very close to the five-year, $78 million contract the Mariners reached with their ace, Felix Hernandez, earlier this month. Like Verlander, Hernandez was eligible for free agency after the 2011 season and coming off a year in which he finished in the top three in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Interestingly, though, Verlander said last week that Hernandez's contract would not necessarily be a model for any deal he might want from the Tigers.
"With long-term deals, it's to each his own," Verlander said. "Every player, it's basically what you're willing to sell your rights for, because that's what you're selling. You're selling rights to arbitration and free agency. I'm not saying he doesn't apply. He does, but I wasn't really paying attention to that."
A six-year deal would bring Verlander in line with some of the top free-agent contracts in the game. The only pitchers in baseball to sign a longer contract are CC Sabathia, who joined the Yankees as a free agent last winter on a seven-year deal, and Barry Zito, who signed his seven-year contract after the 2006 season. Johan Santana signed a six-year contract two years ago after the Twins traded him to the Mets.
A six-year deal would delay free agency for Verlander by four years. He would still be eligible to hit the open market after the 2015 season, just before his 33rd birthday.
Verlander's turnaround was at the heart of the Tigers' run to within a game of the AL Central crown. A year after sharing the Major League lead in losses, the 26-year-old right-hander tied for the big league lead in wins with a 19-9 record. His 269 strikeouts, 240 innings and 35 starts all led the Majors in what was the most dominant season from a Tigers starter since Jack Morris two decades earlier.
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