Rookie Kevin McGonigle’s eight-year deal agreed to on Wednesday, April 15, is just the eighth contract worth at least $100 million handed out by the Detroit Tigers in either free agency or as an extension. The deals, and the seasons they started in:
2016 – 1B Miguel Cabrera: $248 million, 8 years
The buzz: This extension was signed in March 2014, ahead of a 52-homer season from Cabrera, but didn’t kick in till 2016. Miggy played the full contract, reaching Hall of Fame milestones in homers (511) and hits (3,174), but his 2016-23 stretch, plagued by injuries, was easily the worst of his career.
[ Kevin McGonigle might be an all-timer. His contract is a steal for Tigers ]
2014 – 1B Prince Fielder: $214 million, 9 years
The buzz: Fielder, signed as a free agent when DH Victor Martinez suffered an offseason leg injury, lasted just two years in Detroit – hitting .295 with 55 homers and 214 RBIs in 324 games – before the Tigers shipped him to the Texas Rangers. Fielder only lasted five years on this deal, retiring after his age-32 season with neck issues.
2016 – RHP Justin Verlander: $180 million, 7 years
The buzz: JV won two AL Cy Young awards (and finished second in another season), threw a third no-hitter and won two World Series … but he did all of that with the Houston Astros, after the Tigers traded him away in the second season of this extension.
2027 – SS Kevin McGonigle, $150 million, 8 years
The buzz: The deal carries an average annual value of $18.75 million, which would make him the 13th highest-paid shortstop in MLB – just ahead of fellow rookie Konnor Griffin, who signed a nine-year, $140 million contract earlier this month.
2022 – SS Javier Báez: $140 million, 6 years
The buzz: This deal has been underwater almost from the moment it was signed, as Báez was one of the worst hitters in baseball over his first three seasons of the contract. Last year, however, he made the All-Star Game as a center fielder, and he’s hitting .293 in 12 games so far in 2026.
2016 – OF Justin Upton: $132.8 million, 6 years
The buzz: Signed at age 28, Upton hit 59 homers in 278 games over parts of two seasons with the Tigers before they dealt him to the Los Angeles Angels in July 2017 as part of a massive teardown in Detroit. He played out the contract, but saw his power drop way off at the end.
2026 – RHP Framber Valdez: $115 million, 3 years
The buzz: We’re just four starts into this one, with Valdez posting a 3.75 ERA – a mark grossly ballooned by his eight runs allowed to the Twins in start No. 3 – in 24 innings. Valdez has an opt-out in the final year, which means this could be just a two-year, $65.7 million deal in the end.
2016 – RHP Jordan Zimmermann: $110 million, 5 years
The buzz: In his first five appearances as a Tiger, Zimmermann allowed two earned runs in 33 innings, for a 0.55 ERA. Over his final 94 appearances as a Tiger, he allowed 320 runs in 481⅓ innings – a 5.98 ERA. He did finish the deal in Detroit, at least, despite numerous injuries.
Ryan Ford is acting sports editor for the Free Press and has been with Freep Sports since January 2006. Contact him at rford@freepress.com or follow him on X @theford and on BlueSky at @theford.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kevin McGonigle contract, how it ranks among Tigers’ biggest deals
Reporting by Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
