Detroit Tigers sign rookie star Kevin McGonigle to $150 million contract extension

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have signed rookie star Kevin McGonigle to a $150 million contract extension.

McGonigle, 21, is just 17 games into his MLB career, but he already looks like perhaps the best hitter on the Tigers’ roster.

He’s batting .311 with a .417 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage. He’s walked more times (11) than he’s struck out (eight) and hit his first career homer off of right-handed ace Sandy Alcantara over the weekend.

McGonigle is the unanimous No. 2 prospect in baseball behind Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who got a nine-year, $140 million deal before appearing in an MLB game.

The Tigers said McGonigle’s contract is for $150 million and eight years from 2027 through 2034. That means he’ll play 2026 on the league minimum before his extension triggers.

So the Tigers bought out the final five years of McGonigle’s pre-free agency team control, as well as an additional three seasons.

Here’s how McGonigle’s contract breaks down:

• 2027: $1 million
• 2028: $7 million
• 2029: $16 million
• 2030: $21 million
• 2031: $22 million
• 2032: $23 million (could get up to $25 million, with escalators)
• 2033: $23 million (could get up to $26 million, with escalators)
• 2034: $23 million (could get up to $28 million, with escalators)

NOTE: MLB team payrolls are calculated with the yearly average of a player’s contract, so McGonigle will count as $18.75 million on the Tigers’ payroll each season from 2027-2034 (unless the current pay structure changes in CBA negotiations).

So with the performance escalators from 2032-2034, the deal could end up being worth up to $160 million. It includes a $14 million signing bonus and a $5 million assignment bonus every time McGonigle lands with a new team.

McGonigle will be 30 years old after the 2034 season, when he’s next eligible for free agency.

McGonigle has appeared in 10 games at shortstop and nine at third base for the Tigers. Defense was a concern coming into spring training, but McGonigle proved he can handle playing on a major-league infield.

The former No. 37 overall pick in the 2023 draft spent just three seasons in the minors and skipped Triple-A completely. He slashed .308/.410/.512 in 183 minor-league games, hitting 25 homers and 51 doubles while stealing 40 bases and walking 123 times compared to 84 strikeouts.