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The Tigers and Dontrelle Willis have only been together for a few weeks now, and even though Dontrelle is yet to throw a single pitch in a Tigers uniform, the team has already decided how they feel about the young lefty. They think he's the bee's knees, and they'd really like to take the next step in their relationship.

That's why they've decided to sign Willis to a contract extension.

Pitcher Dontrelle Willis has reached an agreement in principle on a three-year, $29 million contract extension with the Detroit Tigers, a source told ESPN.com.

The deal includes incentives that could push the total value to more than $30 million, the source said. An announcement was expected after Willis took a physical exam Thursday in Detroit.

I can understand why the Tigers would like to lock up Willis now and not let him hit the free agent market after the 2009 season, but if I'm Dave Dombrowski, I would have taken a more cautious route. Personally I'd like to see Willis pitch an entire season in the American League before deciding I want to invest $30 million in him.

It doesn't matter how good of a pitcher you are, making the adjustment from the National League to the American League can be tough for anybody. Then when you consider Dontrelle's performance the last few seasons, he's 22-27 with an ERA of 4.49 since winning 22 games in 2005, I have even more doubts about Willis' value in Detroit. Now some of those numbers may have been a direct result of carrying a very young team, but I'd like to see for myself before investing that kind of cash.