Dombrowski said he is not opposed to a young pitcher completing his development in the majors; the major-league pitching coach, in this case Rick Knapp, should be, by definition, the best instructor in the system.

One concern with Porcello is that he averaged a mere 5.2 strikeouts per nine innings at Class A Lakeland last season; CC Sabathia averaged 10.4 in nearly twice as many minor-league innings when he made the Indians' Opening Day rotation at age 20.

Another concern is that Porcello was on a 75-pitch limit at Lakeland, though he reached 80 at times. Porcello naturally would progress to a 100- or 110-pitch limit whether he was in the majors or minors, Dombrowski said. The Tigers could back him up with a pitcher such as Zach Miner, the way the Cubs backed up Rich Harden last season with Chad Gaudin.

Even then, Porcello's innings limit likely would be in the 155 to 160 range, assuming he was restricted to the 25 percent increase preferred by most clubs. The optimal number might be even less; pitching in the American League is far more stressful than pitching in the Florida State League.

"That's something we can watch later on in the year, and will watch later on in the year," Dombrowski said. "It's something we'll be careful about, no matter what level he pitches at.

"Sometimes you can get so cautious, you tie your hands and prevent yourself from having the best club. If you tie your hands in March from what might take place in August, maybe August doesn't turn out to be very important for you. But it might be real important if you play the right guys."

The approach worked for the Tigers when they promoted Verlander and Joel Zumaya in 2006 and advanced to the World Series; Verlander, though, was a college pitcher who was three years older than Porcello is now, and Zumaya had pitched nearly 400 innings in the minors. The Tigers were not as successful when they rushed outfielder Cameron Maybin at age 20 in 2007.

Some rival executives speculate that the Tigers would prefer to keep Porcello in the minors to delay his eligibility for salary arbitration. Dombrowski, however, said the issue will "not come into play," explaining, "You don't have the payroll that we have and not try to win."

The bigger financial question might be what to do with Willis and Robertson. Neither would deserve to make the club if the season opened tomorrow; nor would designated hitter Gary Sheffield, who is earning $14 million. The only way to trade any of the three would be to accept a bad contract in return — and even then, teams might not be interested.

Dombrowski did not rule out the possibility of releasing one or more of his albatrosses, saying, "Those are later-on-in-the-spring discussions." But while every club talks about keeping its 25 best players, the Tigers are not going to dump three veterans at a combined price of — gasp — $53 million.

In a perfect world, Willis and Robertson would show progress over the next three weeks, enabling the Tigers to choose one as their fifth starter and put the other in the bullpen. Demoting one or both to the minors also would be possible; both also could end up in the bullpen if Porcello won the fifth starter's job.

Frankly, the Tigers' decision on Porcello should not be influenced by outside factors. If Dombrowski and Leyland determine that Porcello is the next Beckett, then they should not hesitate to commit to him. But shame on the Tigers if they rush Porcello because of restless management, an uncertain rotation or attendance desires.

The proper development of Porcello should be the team's top priority.