DETROIT — Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle became the latest young player to get a big-money deal, agreeing Wednesday to a $150 million, eight-year contract that starts in 2027.
An infielder who has started at third base and shortstop, McGonigle, 21, became the youngest Tigers player named to an Opening Day roster since Omar Infante in 2003. He had four hits in his major league debut on March 26 and entered Wednesday hitting .311 with one homer, eight RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage in 17 games.
“As soon as we saw this kid play and saw the way he commands the strike zone, fights for every pitch and uses the whole field, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty interesting for an 18-year-old kid,'” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “We knew he could play the infield and he had the right physical gifts.
“It was just about how quickly everything would come together, and they came together more quickly than I ever thought.”
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McGonigle, ESPN’s No. 2 prospect for the 2026 season, became the fourth top prospect to get a big-money deal since late March following a $140 million, nine-year contract for 19-year-old Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin; a $95 million, eight-year agreement for 20-year-old Seattle shortstop Colt Emerson; and a $50.75 million, eight-year pact for 21-year-old Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt.
“If you think about it, this is a kid who would be eligible for this year’s draft if he had gone to college,” Harris said. “Now, he’s up here with a long-term contract, so I guess he made the right decision.”
McGonigle has a one-year contact for 2026 paying the $780,000 minimum while in the major leagues and $127,100 while in the minors.
His new deal calls for a $14 million signing bonus, including $8 million payable within 30 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball and $6 million on March 31, 2028. He gets salaries of $1 million next year, $7 million in 2028, $16 million in 2029, $21 million in 2030, $22 million in 2031 and $23 million each in 2032, 2033 and 2034.
“I had the confidence to think there was a possibility for something like this to happen,” McGonigle said. “I’m just super pumped and super excited to spend the next nine years here helping this team win.”
Escalators could increase his salaries in the final three seasons, capped at $25 million in 2032, $26 million in 2033 and $28 million in 2034. The escalators, based on accomplishments starting in 2026, are $2 million for winning an MVP, $1 million for finishing second through fifth in voting, $500,000 for sixth through 10th, $500,000 for making the All-MLB first or second team, $250,000 for being elected or selected an All-Star and $250,000 for winning a Silver Slugger.
He would get a $5 million assignment bonus each time he is traded.
McGonigle’s deal covers the first three seasons after he would have been eligible for free agency.
McGonigle was selected by the Tigers 37th overall in the 2023 amateur draft out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He had a hot spring that allowed him to skip Triple-A after playing in just 46 games in Double-A last season.
“Ever since I picked up a bat, this was always a dream,” he said. “Definitely at a young age, I’d say I knew I had the opportunity to play at a high level.”
He has reached base in 13 consecutive starts and 15 of 16 games. He is one of only 10 players in the major leagues with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) among players with at least 11 walks.
“What he is doing right now is remarkable,” Harris said. “We studied young hitters and their adjustment periods to the majors, and right down the line, they really struggled for the first 150 plate appearances in the big leagues.
“Clearly, [McGonigle] hasn’t. I can’t remember a debut that I was this impressed with through 17 games.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
