Justin Verlander: 'I feel better than I have in 3 or 4 years'

Justin Verlander is ready to get back to his Cy Young Award-winning ways.

The Detroit Tigers right-hander is looking forward to being healthy and productive in 2015.

"I feel better than I have in three or four years," Verlander told the Oakland Express. "I had no issues starting to warm up. The ball's coming out of my hands as good as it has in a while. I'm excited to start throwing off the mound. I'm excited to get to spring training, see how it feels against hitters. I'm genuinely excited."

Verlander, the 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, went 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA and allowed an AL-high 104 earned runs. He needs to be better this year, especially with the departure of Max Scherzer, who signed a seven-year, $210-million deal with the Washington Nationals.

"Every career has its peaks and valleys," Verlander noted. "Last year wasn't a good year. I know that. I told you guys that, and we discussed it."

Verlander showed promising signs in the second half of last season, posting a 7-4 record with a 3.97 ERA. He'll have to build on those numbers in 2015 if he hopes to justify his $28-million salary and is beefing up during the offseason in order to get back on track.

The 31-year-old has been hitting the weight room in anticipation of spring training and is weighing in around 235 pounds - around 25 pounds heavier than he was this time last year due to core muscle repair surgery. Verlander also revealed he's been throwing for the last three or four weeks and began long tossing just prior to New Year's.