The Tigers's Latest Long-Term Bet Will Actually Pay Off

After one of the best starts that a rookie has ever had in a Tigers uniform, Kevin McGonigle just signed a $150 million contract that guaranteed that the league’s best shortstop will be wearing the old English D for the next eight years.

It’s one of the best contract extensions the team will have ever made. But Tigers fans have a fair amount of PTSD when it comes to long-term contracts for their players.

Although he’s arguably the greatest hitter to ever play the game, Detroit was paying Miguel Cabrera $29 million per year for way too long, considering his WAR rating was in the negative all of his last three years of his ten year deal.

In addition to Miggy, there was the five-year $110 million deal that Detroit handed pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, who had an ERA of 5.63 during his time as a Tiger, and went 25-41 as a starter.

And, although he has his moments of greatness, the $24 million that Chris Ilitch and the organization are handing Javier Baez every year is a gross overpay as well.

But McGonigle is a deal that they could not have gotten more correct.

As is the case in most professional sports, the ‘record-breaking contract’ seems to become broken each year.

It is only going to get more difficult for teams with smaller budgets to sign stars each year, as they will all flock to the New York or Los Angeles teams with billions upon billions to burn.

With the McGonigle deal, the Tigers snagged one of the highest performing prospects that the league has seen—one who is likely to be the centerpiece of the extremely talented young core that the Tigers have been developing for the past couple seasons, while still managing to make the playoffs.

The precedent was set for this type of deal with Colt Keith a few offseasons ago, when he signed a six-year $29 million pre-arbitration deal, locking him up before he’s even eligible to be a free agent.

What should be giving Tigers fans the utmost confidence is that this team is doing what it hasn’t done in ages; investing in its homegrown, developed talent, instead of investing in former all-stars who are way past their prime.

As important as it is to have experience in a winning team, a continuation of these types of deals will keep the Tigers competitive for years to come, and Michiganders should hope to see more of them make the major league roster soon.