The Tigers announced a six-year contract extension with infield prospect Colt Keith. The deal guarantees Keith $28.6425MM and could max out at $82MM over nine years if three club options (covering the 2030, 2031, and 2032 seasons) are all escalated and exercised. Keith is represented by Munger English Sports Management.
In addition to a $2MM signing bonus, Keith will earn $2.5MM in salary for the 2024 campaign, $3.5MM in 2025, $4MM per season in 2026 and ’27, and $5MM per season in 2028 and ’29. Each club option includes salary escalators, but the values currently break down as follows — the 2030 club option is valued at $10MM with a $2.6425MM buyout, the 2031 option worth $13MM ($1MM buyout), and the 2032 option worth $15MM ($2MM buyout).
Keith, 22, was a fifth-round pick by the Tigers in the 2020 draft and has since ascended rapidly through the minor leagues with a .300/.382/.512 slash line across all levels, including a .306/.380/.552 slash line in 126 games split between Double- and Triple-A last season. The youngster has emerged as a consensus Top-30 prospect in the game, with MLB.com ranking him 22nd while Baseball America placed him 28th. Both president of baseball operations Scott Harris and Keith himself commented on the extension in a press release following the announcement.
“This is a very exciting day for the Detroit Tigers, Colt, his family, and our fans,” Harris said in the presser. “This contract demonstrates our faith in Colt and this organization’s commitment to acquire, develop, and retain young talent.”
“I couldn’t be more excited to reach this agreement, securing my place in this organization for years to come,” Keith added. “There’s a reason I felt strongly about making a long-term commitment to be here, and being surrounded by incredibly talented teammates and coaches is a big part of that… I know this is a big accomplishment, but ultimately my mission is to be the best player possible and help win a World Series Championship for Tigers fans everywhere.”
The 22-year-old Keith has now scored a significant windfall after signing for just a $500K bonus out of the draft. Beyond the financial security, Keith also has certainty that he will remain part of the Tigers’ long-term plans as they look to build upon their surprising second place finish in the AL Central last year. For Detroit, the extension affords the club some cost certainty regarding Keith’s arbitration years plus an additional three seasons of team control. If all three options are exercised, Keith will stay in a Tigers uniform through his age-30 season.
It’s the fourth-largest deal in league history for a prospect who has yet to make their MLB debut. Keith’s extension trails only the guarantees for White Sox outfielders Luis Robert Jr. ($50MM) and Eloy Jimenez ($43MM) as well as the record-setting $82MM deal agreed to by outfield prospect Jackson Chourio and the Brewers earlier this winter.
Keith was already expected to join the big league roster as the Tigers’ everyday second baseman at some point in the year, but today’s deal all but guarantees he’ll be in the lineup on Opening Day if healthy. The deal takes away the opportunity for the Tigers to secure an extra year of team control over the infielder, but Detroit is still eligible for an extra Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick. This pick would be awarded in the event that Keith earns a full year of service time in 2024 and either wins the AL Rookie of the Year award or places in the top three of MVP voting before he would have been eligible for arbitration.
With Keith likely to occupy the keystone for the Tigers entering the season, the likes of Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton, Andy Ibanez, and Matt Vierling will be competing for playing time at third base when camp opens for Spring Training next month. While the third base keys figure to be handed to another top prospect in Jace Jung at some point in the future, the 23-year-old has not yet made an appearance at the Triple-A level and appears unlikely to break camp with the Tigers. Keith and Jung figure to be the latest in a line of top prospects to reach the majors for Detroit in recent years, including starting pitchers jTarik Skubal and Casey Mize, and position players Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene.
As their prospects begin to reach the majors and establish themselves at the big league level, the Tigers have looked to augment the roster with short-term veteran additions who won’t block the younger players from earning regular playing time. This offseason, Detroit struck early to land outfielder Mark Canha in a deal with the Brewers before bolstering their rotation with by signing free agent right-handers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. The club has also added reinforcements to their bullpen in the form of Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller. Those veteran additions figure to strengthen the club’s burgeoning young core as they gear up for a run in what projects to be a relatively weak AL Central division, though the Twins figure to remain the on-paper favorite even after allowing both Maeda and ace righty Sonny Gray to depart via free agency this winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Congratulations young man.
Foolish earthlings.
“What are you going to about it? It’s a one team system!”
Hard to turn down your first fortune if you weren’t born rich.
Yeah idk. These guys give up a ton of earning power when they sign these deals through their prime years. Great job by Detroit FO thou, continuing their excellent offseason, a 28 mill investment for an 82 mil bargain is another solid move
Keith has a much higher chance of being a nothing at the MLB level than an All Star. Keith is already eating his way off the field, ballooning up to 250lbs and he has never been expected to be good defensively. An actual vs. 95% vs. 75% vs. 50% of his potential ceiling might look like this.
a22 2024 = 4.5 vs 0.7 vs 0.7vs 0.7
a23 2025 = 3.5 vs 0.8 vs 0.8 vs 0.8
a24 2026 = 4.0 vs 0.8 vs 0.8 vs 0.8
a25 2027 = 4.0 vs 2.0 vs 1.5 vs 1.0 arb 1
a26 2028 = 5.0 vs 6.0 vs 5.0 vs 3.0 arb 2
a27 2029 = 5.0 vs 12.0 vs 6.0 vs 4.5 .arb 3
a28 2030 = 10.0 vs 25.0* vs 15.0* vs 8.0
a29 2031 = 13.0 vs 25.0* vs 15.0* vs 8.0
a30 2032 = 15.0 vs 25.0* vs 15.0* vs 8.0
*95% = 4 years $100MM, 75% = 3 years $45MM
The only way Keith loses is if he attains his absolute ceiling or close to it. This isn’t like Acuna or other major contracts for guys with plus defensive positions or skills to fall back on if their bats don’t work out.
Keith didn’t “balloon” up to 245#; it was an intentional addition of muscle. He’s 6’3″ w/11% body fat, so not exactly out of shape.
WN
*He’s 6’3″ w/11% body fat, so not exactly out of shape.”
Curious how you know his body fat percentage
Yeah that’s not available on a stat sheet.
I’ll side on the opinion of the Tigers front office over yours. After all, they’re the ones paying him. And if he “ballooned” up to 250, he wouldn’t have gotten the deal.
First of all, as I’m sure you’ve never even seen Colt Keith, he’s NOT eating his way ot of anything. The kid is absolutely JACKED! He’s gained nothing but pure muscle and if you’d actually seen him you wouldn’t have made such a moronic comment. Great signing for both team and prospect
@martras, in his age 22 season he got on base more than 200 times and had 70 extra base hits. Even if his bb/k ratio stays a little off, his power makes up for it.
From a minor league to major transition projection he’s as about as sure fire as it gets
Martras…did you make all those numbers up? I have no idea what you are trying to say, ither than it is a bad signing. It is not. Everybody wins on this one.
Talk about being clueless
No team has ever told their player to get obese. Weight is weight. Great if you’re an NFL linebacker, not if you’re an MLB 3B.
Keith isn’t good defensively, he doesn’t play a premium position and regardless of whether or not it’s fat or muscle, 250lbs is 250lbs.
Only in America… The land of a the stupid.
@Motor City Beach Bum
Yes, I estimated the numbers Keith might earn in the future had he not signed the contract.
It’s a good contract for him where he’s almost certain to not outperform what he’s making for the next 5-6 years or so. After that, if he reaches his near max potential, he’ll lose out on some income, but only if he reaches his near ceiling or better.
It’s probably an okay contract for the Tigers as well. They get payroll security, and it’s not like they’re going to break the bank as an overpay. The only way it doesn’t work out for the Tigers is if Keith winds up a total bust.
Keith will be at 2B. Jace Jung will be at 3B when he arrives. Probably no later than ’25. This season, Veirling has the inside track at 3B, with McKinstrey, Ibanez, etc, battling with him for it.
You can absolutely be in shape and athletic at 6 foot 2 250 pounds. That’s truly not that much. Especially if you are jacked.
The player only signs this deal if he thinks he isn’t going to be an above average player..
His numbers show a guy with power, and with absolutely no speed. I look for speed, which relates to range in the infield and outfield. Slow guys arent going to get to a lot of balls that a faster guy will. I picture him settled in at 12-15 home runs ,260avg .300obp. His minors numbers are ok, but not stand out amazing. 6 years, i just don’t know why.
“His minors numbers are ok, but not stand out amazing.” And you see him settling in as a below-average MLB hitter because he isn’t fast and might not beat out a few infield grounder a year? His MiLB numbers were great. As a 21 year old most of the season he hit .306 with 27 HRs, 38 doubles, and even 3 triples plus some walks between AA and AAA. In the PCL those might not be impressive, but they are in the rest of the minors.
FLotG
“And you see him settling in as a below-average MLB hitter because he isn’t fast and might not beat out a few infield grounder a year? His MiLB numbers were great. As a 21 year old most of the season he hit .306 with 27 HRs, 38 doubles, and even 3 triples plus some walks between AA and AAA. In the PCL those might not be impressive, but they are in the rest of the minors.”
He had a 163 wRC+ in AA and 119 in AAA
He’s projected at FG for a 105 wRC+ next year.
This is the type of deal your Povert-dres should stick with. If you aren’t rich already, it’s difficult to turn down your first fortune. And who cares if he has speed? Lots of really good hitters throughout the years don’t have speed. Really help Miggy and Pujols back, huh?
What happened in your life that made you sad? There’s a forum for that.
You’re expecting his avg to drop 65pts, obp 90 pts and 12-15 less homers? Not sure I’d agree. Luis Robert signed a similar deal and that seams to be working just fine
@martras…. Not an advocate of bulking up for baseball but a lot of guys that size developed into very good gloves and most 3b are not very mobile anyway. Brooks Robindson was VERY slow but made up for it by using his head and even then, didn’t win his first GG until after 3,000+ innings in MLB. Regardless, muscle mass weight is not the same as fat and 11% @ 245# is NOT obese. The kid organized his body development and seems to have a plan and we’ll eventually see the results, good or bad.
martas – Financially speaking, the deal is an absolute disaster for Detroit. As a player who has yet to play 1 game in a MLB uniform his Free Agency year is 2031. That means he has 7 years of control under the new CBA unless he earns less from high level achievements like ROY.
As a controlled player in pre-arb he will cost around $2.4MM for 3 years. Then his arbitration years if he is very, very good will cost another $65MM for four years assuming he is as good as Mookie or Julio Rodriguez. Together, at most he could cost $65MM to $75MM if he has massive numbers and does very very well in his arbitration years.
Can Detroit already expect him to be another Mookie or Julio based on what they have seen? Nope, I don’t think so.
Normally, owners do these deals to get a home town discount but Detroit has chosen to pay a hometown premium that doesn’t assure them he will stay when the contract is up. In the meantime, their available payroll in the early years of the deal is significantly less than it would have been thus limiting other opportunities for young players to be acquired or veterans so they can make a run at the playoffs.
You may be privvy to information that I am not but I’ve seen half a dozen different sources listing him at 6’2″ 211. Did he put on 39 pounds recently?
@LN …. Found an interview he had online a week or so ago where he was quoted as saying he intentionally gained muscle and had his current bio at 6’3″ / 245#. 34# seems a lot of weight for someone already 211# but I’m sure he has a fitness coach monitoring his progress.
Thank you kindly sir
You are looking at it as if it’s an automatic thing he would earn more. He’s 22 & has security through age 31 & can still cash in for 200 to 300 million 31-39 so it’s a win/win & since an athlete is always one injury away, it’s a smart move. He is now set for life regardless of future earnings.
He’s guaranteed $28 million, which means he’s set for life even if he completely busts. And that’s the only way he only gets $28 million. He has to bust, which makes it a smart signing. If the extensions are picked up, it means he’s good and he gets $82MM, but he’ll still be young enough to cash in more. There is no losing here.
There’s no way he makes another 200 mil on the back side of that deal. Snell is a cy young award winner and can’t command that kind of money at the same age colt will be at the end of this deal.
He left 50-100 mil on the table to guarantee 30 mil. Not saying it’s the wrong choice for him, just not the right choice for everyone
This contract guarantees a home, investment portfolio, kid’s education, and a lot of other stuff. Minor league earnings and a draft bonus are a good start but hardly ensure long term security. The difference between 30 and 100 mill is what level of fancy you can buy… I guess unless it’s an ego thing and you desperately need to tell others about how many colorful slips of paper you’ve accumulated.
You forgot to figure in the market by then. At the current rate, the major league minimum will be 10 million per by then, lol. A little sarcasm on the number, but you get my point, I’m sure.
The current rate of older fans dying being replaced by kids that don’t care about baseball? It’s pretty high, don’t have exact figures though.
Keith just had an injury that caused a change in position (at least for now). When you realize how quickly a career can change in sports, sometimes security can be very attractive, without it being about a lack of confidence.
I would have taken this deal if I was him. Lots of ?s in his game. I would of went to college though. 3 4 years of playing college baseball is worth way more than 500 grand imo. Might not have gotten this contract though so it worked out great for him.
It worked out for him. Look at those numbers last season again.
YourDreamGM: It looks like he made the right choice for himself. His senior yr of high school (’20) was wiped out by the pandemic. So he signed for $500,000. If he went the college route, he wouldn’t have been draft eligible until this past draft (2023).
College position players hardly ever make it to the Majors during their draft yr. In fact only a small % of them even get to AA during their draft yr. Most of them either get a taste of low A & bumped up to High A or start at Hi-A. Their 1st full season typically starts @ Hi-A w a promotion to AA or spend most (or all) @ AA w a taste of AAA. Their 2nd full season is when they seem to make their MLB debut for the franchises that push their prospects. The others (that actually make it) are typically called up during their 3rd full season.
College was the best years of life. Wouldn’t trade it for 500 grand. Now if you told me I would get 28 million a few years later no college. It worked out for him. Although he could have went to college and been a high enough draft pick and got a larger signing bonus and still got this extension or a even bigger one. This probably happened in another multiverse.
Jon Singelton did alright with his extension.
Singleton did well, I guess only he realized he was a chubby stoner.
Tell that to Evan White
“Keith also has certainty that he will remain part of the Tigers’ long-term plans…”
—–Every cloud has a dark, grey lining.
Wow! That actually sounds reasonable, unlike the Chourio extension.
FWIW, Chourio is the #2 prospect in the game and Keith is ranked #22. Also, recent reports have the Tigers moving him to second.
Still better than paying someone like Trevor Story or Marcus Semien an insane amount to play 2nd
So you’d prefer a prospect at 2B last year for the Rangers than Semien?
No. I’m saying that it’s better to not have to spend big in free agency and instead develop your own. Granted, that Odor deal never worked out, but that is a risk worth taking. I also think him moving to 2nd from 3rd improves his defensive value. Bref doesn’t list him as a shortstop. That 20+ MM can go to other players to improve the whole roster.
Semien has been one of the best free agent deals in recent memory. Texas would not have their title without him.
I agree that there are two widely divergent pay scale for team controlled players and FAs but any prep extension deal to a prospect is high risk/ high reward because of the lack of a big league track record.
*pre-extension
A 1 in 10 shot of getting an Acuna deal is still quite something. Plus, even if WAR says he was worth the 7/175 this year, he has 5 years left.
Not knocking Semien, but to call a player who disappointed in year one of his deal, and then performed well in the 2nd, “…one of the best free agent deals in recent memory” tells me you have short term memory. Any free agent that has performed well in their first two years has been a better signing.
I agree with the logic of a pre-extension since they free up money for other parts of the roster. However, sometimes a rebuild needs to be complimented with free agent signings. I give Chris Young a ton of credit for hitting on most of the deals and somehow still managing to build up the farm.
Seamen was worth 5.7 WAR in 2022, which was the second best total of his career at that point. Hardly a down year.
Story plays shortstop
He’s put up 13.1 rWAR in his first two years as a Ranger, been an All-Star, helped them win a World Series, literally posts every single game (totally unappreciated in today’s game), and is building a stealth HOF career.
Not really if the team wins it all and the player was a big reason why.
I can understand a Tigers fans perspective that signing a pre debut deal is better than signing a marquee free agent, when your just looking at money. But to come on here and see a Rangers fan throwing shade Semiens way… never thought I’d see that day.
Sure he led the AL in WAR for position players, had the most hits, runs scored and the 2nd most total bases (he also had the 2nd most TB in three of the four past full seasons), but by golly he also cost 25m…. what?!?!
He’s 2 years into his 7 year deal and he is getting close to the point where 1 more excellent season and it will already be a win for the team.
I definitely agree with whoever said it was one of the best FA deals in recent memory.
Semien did not disappoint his 1st year in Texas, he actually did quite well. He did even better last season yes, bur his production was nor significantly greater. And he missed 1 game between the 2 seasons which is incredible in this day and age.
If Semien “disappointed”” you in 2022, then you don’t know ball.
Slandering Semien is crazy, if Mookie didn’t switch positions he’d be the best 2B in the league.
Uf you count his WAR as being valuable, consider how many fewer blown saves they would have if they spent that on their bullpen instead. 33 blown saves out of 63 is extremely high. There are many ways of winning a game, and defense isn’t the only way. Besides, now, Texas is running out of budget, and do you really think Semien for 5 years is worth losing Monty for the same amount? I think not. Also, Story played 2nd last year.
*Last year = 2022 (Boagerts was SS)
Played some in 2023
Semien has missed one game of the entire last 2 seasons. If you are trying to connect him to an opportunity cost with Monty that’s kind of laughable. Conversely one can easily counter that with deGrom’s salary being what hinders them from signing Monty. And considering both are SPs and deGrom has hardly pitched as a Ranger and it will be awhile before he does again, I’d say hanging opportunity cost of Monty on him is far more realistic.
Absolutely. Semien was literally the Ranger’s best player last year. They don’t win the world series without him. Their future prospects would be a lot worse without him. If Semien was made available for trade with his current contract, other teams would be tripping over themselves to bid on that.
Also Trevor Story played 0 innings at 2B last year. Not sure what you’re on about there
Semien has played 323 of the 324 reg season games as a Ranger. Him trying to tie the opportunity cost of signing Monty exclusively to Semien is an absolute stretch any way he tries to spin it. There are bloated salaries all around that roster, to try and hang it singularly on Semien who has been the poster boy for availability and productivity is just absurd.
Fine. I don’t hate the contract as much after realizing he was why postseason hero Seager signed, and considering his regular season all around performance. Still, he is very streaky, as evidenced by his postseason struggles, and I have to say that Arraez, Albies, Keith, and Altuve seem like far better bang for the buck. Not every team has the TV deals to pay guys 200MM+ a year, and I’m sure many teams would rather spread the wealth. It worked out with a ring, so I’ll stop being negative about Semien. I guess you can always be the Mets or Padres.
Why is it Semien’s salary in particular you are harping on?? The guy has played in all but 1 game the last 2 seasons. Seems you should be directing this point at deGrom. Who also at time of signing was widely viewed as an injury risk and him missing time as he has seemed inevitable.
Why are you so triggered with me mentioning Semien? Relax.
I’m not triggered, I’m perplexed that anyone could try and hang opportunity cost to any player on Rangers other than deGrom. At this point any opportunity cost for the Rangers begins and ends with deGrom, that is just reality. Whatever they do without one can point directly to the IL and at deGrom’s name and then the AAV of the contract no insurance company would touch due to his injury history.
I never Slandered Semien. I do disagree with the opinion of Best free agent contract. Just an opinion. Would have loved him on the Tigers.
Best free agent contract could be a stretch. I will say it’s hard not to appreciate a guy who has been available as much as Semien. He has most games of any MLB player the last 2 seasons.
I’d say the Rangers had the best approach to their approach to filling middle IF needs. SS’s were all getting paid and a shortage of free agent 2Bs were on the horizon. They went out locked up both positions immediately and have reeped the benefits of doing so. Now there approach to filling their rotation has left alot to be desired.
Randy Johnson with Arizona may be the best FA contract. He got a couple CY’s. Semien’s deal wasn’t bad though considering the economics and his doing well. Plus, they’ve already got a championship out of it. deGrom’s 5/185 or whatever it was is far more risky, IMHO.
Yeah it’s going to be very hard for deGrom to make that contract even ok in the end as far as value. He s already missed most of first year and will miss significant part of 2nd and at best return and be used in a limited fashion.
That leaves 3 years for him to salvage contract in ages 37-39 seasons. Odds seem against him doing so.
Easy to forget, but Marcus has been a free agent twice. His deal with the Jays was also great performance. So 2/3 of his FA contract years were excellent.
He’s been moved to 2B due to an arm injury. Hoping, like most injuries, he recovers and moves to 3B. This is a positive move by HARRIS. I would love to see more of this “Atlanta-ing” in the future.
I agree that this is a smart, proactive extension. However, I disagree with the notion that Chourio’s deal is somehow a bigger for Milwaukee risk than Keith’s is for Detroit.
I don’t even have Keith in my top 100. I think 22 is high on most criteria but mine favors ceiling over floor.
Keith does have a ceiling. And no offense but I ll put more credence into MLBs top 100 over yours, mine, or anyone on here’s top 100. I also highly doubt you have a Top 100 ranking or are even close to familiar with these prospects enough to even make a loosely reasonable guess at a Top 100 ranking.
Well, if Keith ends up a bust then it’ll only cost 28 mil.
lol. Who da heck are you?
Any team can survive 28 million. I don’t think he will be a bust. It’s hard to predict with most players. Some say all players but some guys are very unlikely to bust. He could be a bust or a all star every year. Looks to be a above average bat. 22 no. Top 100 sure. I just favor ceiling and position value. Going more floor and bat only he could get into my top 100.
How would you know what constitutes being ranked 22nd or even have a clue on a top 100?? It would require seeing thousands of prospects often in person numerous times to have in depth analysis. It takes an entire scouting department by every MLB team to accomplish this.
Admit it you have no clue, the notion that you do is absolutely laughable. Not the hill to die on here with that foolish comment. You clearly did not think of what it entails to have even a semblance of a Top 100 prospects ranking.
Congrats. I think most of us will stick with the ratings that consistently put him in the 20-30 range. If he had not hurt his arm he might be even higher bwcause he has a gun for an arm.
You don’t know anything about scouting if you believe there are thousands of prospects to consider for a top 100. No need to see them numerous times in person with all the data available today. Although I do attend a good amount of games. Don’t need to see the same guy multiple times a year. Focus most my attention on pitchers as they have many more variables. Hitters don’t often start running faster or throwing harder or becoming more athletic. They can out perform their body projections sometimes. Change bat path. I don’t do all this own my own. I have a small army myself who I get information from. Obviously can’t know this prospect as well as Detroit Tigers do. He could be the 22nd best prospect in baseball. Just surprising MLB Pipeline thinks so. Not a pitcher ss catcher cf. Not even a good 3b 2b according to them with a 45 fielding grade. Top 100 for sure. Just not 22.
DreamGM, you are joking right?? Yes there are quite literally thousands of prospects to consider for top 100. They do not just anoint and follow a select few, it is based off of scouting all prospects in MLB organizations.
And yes young prospects quite regularly get stronger and faster. We are talking about teenage to early 20s young men who have not finished growing.
Dude you just need to stop and take the L. You made a pretty ignorant statement about “your top 100”, just be accountable that it wasn’t thought out and foolish and move on. You ve already doubled down on the ignorance, quit digging the hole deeper…
You going to provide any of the information this supposed “small army” provides you?? You have provided his position, prospect ranking, and fielding grade; all things easily available online in under a minute. Whereas this indepth knowledge of yours that qualifies you to have even a semblance of prospect rabkings??
Well first you need to learn to read and comprehend. I didn’t provide you with his position, ranking or fielding grade. That’s either in the article or on mlb website. Why would I provide easy found information with not even agreeing with some of it. You must be new here or not that active. I give my view of things on just about every trade signing. I haven’t found a source with a better record. And I keep getting better every year. If I told you who I was or my expertise you wouldn’t believe me. Just sit back and observe. Either find my posts useful or mute me.
You mentioned has fielding hrade of 45, you also said “not even a good 3B 2B”, then you went on “top 100 for sure. Just not 22”
Those are all things you yourself said, basically the old things about him. And yes they are all easily found. As for why you would provide easily found information, I’m not sure you are the one who did so. I’m just waiting to hear some of their pertinent information you gathered from your “small army”.
I have been here quite a few here years comment often and have had same username. And I have a good feel for whose comments actually carry weight. As for you, the accuracy of your views has a TON of ways to go to catch your bloated ego…
This comment may not age well long term.
28 guaranteed maxing out at 82 sounds fantastic, not terrible if things don’t work out but not massive if they do, and a nice payday now for Keith. Plus if he really works out this just covers until he’s 30 at max so still room for another big contract over the length of his career.
This is exactly what the Yankees should be doing with Dominquez, Jones , Volpe but they are too freaking stupid to take risk which is a fraction of those monster $300-500 million deals that almost never work out.
There are two sides. They did go this route with Severino, and he spent half the time injured. They also avoided it with Bird, Andujar and Frazier, all whom had significant injuries derailing them. That said, I’d roll the dice on Dominguez, but he got a nice signing bonus, so he may be willing to hold out.
Probably of less importance for big budget teams. A big boost for smaller markets to buy out a couple free agent years. Jones hasn’t even faced upper minors pitching.
I like it. A little forward thinking by the new Tigers regime. I hope it pays off for both the team and player.
Me too. Hope the Reds do that with a few of their keeper prospects.
Wow. I kind of hate it when a super prospect doesn’t bet on himself.
That’s a big win for the organization. Rename the kid Toby..
The downside of betting on yourself is no money. The upside is a bigger pile of money that you will probably not spend for your entire life. The downside is much worse especially since far more prospects fail than succeed to a post arbitration contract. I don’t blame any kid for taking the guarantee.
That’s an owner’s dream statement. Go owners!
splinky, you really seem to have an ownership fetish.
Nah bro. It’s sarcasm.. top prospects giving up all their arbitration years is unwise. Individuals with loser mentalities think “bird in the hand!”
He’s a stud. Bet on yourself. Athletes are supposed to be competitors
Scott Kingery, Eric White, John Singleton, etc. took the sure money and benefited from doing so. Different circumstances for everyone.
With competition, there are always losers. Why would you want to take a chance with your only probable opportunity for life altering money? To impress people with your gambling ability or your reckless behavior? This is why so many retired athletes are broke not long after earning millions of dollars.
Evan White
We went pretty deep on this thread before getting to Kingery. Good job people.
I’m afraid I might be right in guessing what that awful Toby reference is to. He’s guaranteed $28M+, not bad for not yet reaching the majors.
Just guessing, but I think that may be a reference to Toby Keith???
moteus, I’m not a country music fan, so I don’t get that potential reference.
I don’t what that is
One of the best.
Yeah terrible reference
I wouldn’t call him a super prospect so this contract would be a easy accept if I was him. Similar contracts have worked out for the player the majority of the time.
He signed for $500,000 in 2020 OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL school. He just signed a contract for a MINIMUM of $28,000,000 w opportunities to more double it at the age of 22. Why take a risk on ruining GENERATIONAL WEALTH?
So with that talent, the union wants, and he should, to bet on himself and turn that into 350m.
Kelenic will be a great example of this and make Seattle look like suckers.
Top athletes bet on themselves. That deal isn’t nearly commensurate with his arbitration value, as he should assume health and increased skill.
So you think he should gamble with $28,000,000 dollars because it’s what the “unions wants”
Clearly he is smarter than you.
Even if he completely flops (which I don’t think he will), these salaries are still more than reasonable. I also think the Tigers will be spending more by then anyway — maybe not like they were when Mike Ilitch was still alive, but I’m big on their core and I actually think they’ll win the Central *this* year.
Hopefully the Guardians can do something like this with DeLauter or Manzardo.
Manzardo’s tools are pretty team friendly in arb. He won’t be a bloated salary power hitter. I’d be surprised if they even attempted.
If they tried something like that with him, I’d imagine that it would be a bet that his power numbers after they traded for him (both in Columbus and the fall league) are for real
I wonder if Wyatt Langford would do this for 2 to 2.5 times the salaries. The signing bonus for top picks does kind of screw the leverage teams have, though.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they approach him. Curious to see how this management team approaches extensions with their young players.
Keith got a 500k signing bonus, Langford got 8m. I can’t recall a top of the class signing bonus guy also taking a pre debut deal so seems very unlikely.
If he did it would by a much bigger multiplier than 2 or 2.5 x the 28m Keith got. He comes up and rakes for a short period of time and his extension floor could be around 150m without even a full season under his belt like J-Rod or Wander.
Players with low signing bonuses, or ones coming from poor backgrounds on the international side, are more likely to sign these type of deals. That’s one of the issues the Blue Jays have likely encountered with Vlad Jr. He had a $4 million signing bonus and came from a wealthy MLB family. No reason for a player like that to sign a deal like that. Orioles will face similar with Holliday.
And comments disparaging a prospect taking deals like this are absurd. We know the OP has no idea what the player’s circumstances are: Sick child needing lifelong care beginning yesterday, severely ill parents who can now avoid a state nursing home, a player who beyond basic comforts doesn’t need wealth….
The list is very long.
Have they at least extended White? He’s already proven himself to me with what he did last season.
Nice work Tigers, congrats Colt!
They still need a RH power bat. Hopefully Malloy fills the bill, and if not, they will be able to fill with Cron, or Santana type to fill a platoon/bench role.
Cron would be interesting. I liked him last time he was here. Santana is solid too. Neither one would cost a ton. Not sure how many DH at bats Detroit has to go around though with Greene reportedly ticketed for at bats there at the start of the season. I’m hoping to see Malloy this year. It’s too bad his defense is so terrible and he is basically a DH.
I still think we need the DH to rotate guys, but I wonder how true the interest in JD was/is.
Malloy looks like a strong candidate at DH.
love your idea of bringing back cron. Maybe he can have a resurgence year after reuniting with the tigers.
Awesome! Very excited by this move. Good move by Harris and crew to lock up a solid young player for the future. Next up a long term extebsion for Skubal, Greene or Tork?
Or Carpenter…
I am amazed teams still make these deals after Scott Kingery. Oh well, it’s not my money.
Maybe because one player isn’t a trend? I know there have been others, but you cited just one.
Because you could have a Ronald Acuna Jr or Corbin Carroll situation where you have an incredible player locked up at very team friendly price. Granted, those are extreme examples and not the most likely of outcomes. However, this deal is cheaper than the Carroll or Acuna extensions. I know he isn’t in MLB yet but at that price it’s worth it to take a shot on his upside!
Last year a lot of people in here were saying that the Diamondbacks gave Carroll way too much money. They were wrong as usual. This deal will likely work out well for the Tigers also. Kingery is the exception, not the rule.
@hammerin Hank
Yeah I remember! Speaking of the thread, when Carroll signed his extension I commented that I thought he was the best prospect in baseball and someone told me “lol that’s ridiculous”. Needless to say Carroll proved that to be correct.
Let’s not get crazy with Carroll. He has only played one year. He could easily become Joe Charboneau.
Maybe the league looks at Kingery’s overall body of work, meaning how the Phillies ‘effed with him? Position changes, swing changes etc. Plus he’s one of the long covid people to boot.
As a Phillies fan it’s still hard to wonder what he could have become? Pedroia was the comp back then….Still hope he can carve out an MLB career w/ a different team?
Have you seen the Braves? If you actually know how to evaluate young talent, these kind of deals are you build a sustainably great team
Possibly because this isn’t Kingery. I could be wrong though.
Kingery was a bad signing, not in hindsight, but in the moment. There was holes in his game and he wasn’t even established in 3A plus he was playing a weak position.
I like most of these deals for the players because they gain security.. This contract is extremely slanted to the Tigers. Any real salary is on a team option which is extremely team friendly if Kieth plays well. The only thing the kid gets out ot this is a guratntee that he can’t be non tendered. Don’t look for too many players to sign deals like this.
CF
“The only thing the kid gets out ot this is a guratntee that he can’t be non tendered”
He gets a guaranteed (portion of) $28 million. That’s a bit more than most players get
He gets close to that in arbitration if he’s an average player. . It’s a huge bargain for the team if he’s above average, especially those 3 cheap team options at the end. Considering inflation, those options are even cheaper. Maybe his agent is expecting the MLB salary bubble to burst.
CF
Then he’d get less if he’s a below average player
He guaranteed himself a massive amount of money
Different people are in different situations and have different risk tolerance
He has a bat, but still searching for a position. Lots of prospects go bust in his range, although I think this will work out for them.
Tigers win a championship ?? Lol
They said the same thing about the Rangers…
100%
In NY, its a World Series or bust atitude, so Yankees fans have been pretty disappointed since Reggie left, and have suffered since the 50’s. They are quick to point out WS victories from before most of us were born to make up for that. In Detroit, we enjoy being able to compete. Dombrowski didn’t get that WS for Mr. I, but it sure was enjoyable watching the Tigers knock the Yankees out several times. For Ten years, even though Detroit did not win the big prize, it was fun, exciting, and enjoyable. I’ll take that over World Series or bust, every time. It’s back to being that time due to Avila’s rebuilt farm. If HARRIS puts the finishing touches in place, anything is possible.
Well they did win 4 out 5 years in the 90s, well after Reggie left.
Fairly happy since Reggie left, including five additional World Series titles, and definitely and greatly enjoyed Mo, Andy, Jorge, Bernie and the Captain. It’s been a slow start to this century with only four World Series appearances and two titles, and not a single losing season, but we admit we hold our team to a higher standard. But I’ve been blessed as I’ve had seen more world championships from my team than anyone else here unless you’re another and older Yankee fan! : -)
Agreed. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend in person more WS games than most fans have been to playoffs games for their respective teams. World Series or bust for me all the way. Nobody remembers second place.
Perhaps I’m high and didn’t comprehend correctly, but they dominated in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
World Series victories from before most of us were born? Gen-Z detected….
It should always be World Series or bust for every Team…The Yankees and Cashman are incompetent that’s why they don’t win, other teams like the tigers are cheap…under MR.I. who was not cheap like his privileged Son Chris…Tigers should have won at least one Championship… So all the 95 win seasons are nice yet no-one cares about them now because they didn’t win that Championship.. So I guess your fine with just with competing not winning…OK..maybe you should become a Yankee fan…take care
Mr.I should have fired that bum Jim Leyland… no manager in the history of the game wasted more talent than he did.
We’ll win the Division, for sure.
And the orioles sit on their hands with all their A+ young guys
Probably because they’re trying to figure out which ones to trade. They’re an ace away from being a behemoth. So, I’d like to think they’ll get their ace. And I’m a Tigers fan.
Figuring out which ones to trade should have 0 impact on which ones to extend. If you get a great player on a friendly contract then they are now even more valuable.
Great one has the way of it here. Os are sitting on their hands
I agree that they should be acting much faster than they are for sure.
You’re not familiar with the Angelos family. Can’t wait for the day they sell
If only that had the foresight to do a 23 year extension to get Colt 45
Oooohhh…..I hope his number is 45. If not, it should be, lol.
I hope it happens just so people will be disappointed to see “Keith 45” instead of what they want to see.
Sure would be nice if the diminutive one, John Angelos, would let Elias sign the Orioles young core to extensions.
I mean, even the dumbest man can see what the Braves, Brewers and now Tigers are doing and how much it makes sense.
Instead, we’ll have to watch Adley and Gunnar walk away when FA hits.
Agree on extending Adley.
Gunnar? Oof. Enjoy him while you got him. His agent will have him landing with the highest bidder which won’t be small market Baltimore. And don’t hold on to him too long like Angelos senior did with Machado.
I know it’s probably too late to extend Gunnar now. What I’m saying is they should have done so before he made his MLB debut. That was the opportunity. Boras is a showstopper at this point.
They could be figuring out which ones to trade for that ace they need.
If joe mauer was allowed into the Hall of Fame, it will be an outrage if they really do actually end up rejecting Miggy and Albert from the Hall of Fame.
I guess I should have seen that coming from you BeachFan. Mildly entertaining.
With the Brewers signing their minor league player to some big money, the way things are going, attending minors games will start to be out of reach for some of us as well. Wouldn’t be surprised if teams start funding high school teams and charging admission to watch them play. Teams signing HS players to $50K salaries.
He’s not going to be playing in the minors anymore.
@Hammerin’ Hank
How are you certain of that? Guy’s played 1 season at AAA with a 0.287 BA that translates to a slashline in the majors of 0.235/ 0.303 / 0.427 due to the loss of about 18% production from the minors. I wouldn’t say that’s ready for the majors.
Once they get contracts like this, they’re getting their shot in the show immediately. Churio and Keith will be in their respective teams OD lineup if healthy.
@D-Nice
I would imagine they aren’t in the OD lineup as they both have work to do.
OY
“With the Brewers signing their minor league player to some big money, the way things are going, attending minors games will start to be out of reach for some of us as well.”
Another person with 0 understanding of economics.
If minor league teams could charge significantly more today, why wouldn’t they?
Why would they forgo those profits?
@filihok
Sounds like you’re the one with no understanding of economics.
First, the value isn’t there to charge MLB rates. My post wasn’t about minor league teams missing out on profits due to the goodness of their heart. I said with all these minor leaguers making millions, we’ll start to see MLB-level charges for seats. It was meant in a sarcastic manner but if it becomes a trend, it will be the reality.
OY
“. I said with all these minor leaguers making millions, we’ll start to see MLB-level charges for seats.”
Right
And that doesn’t make an ounce of sense
If MiLB teams could charge higher prices, they would – so they could make more profit.
If they can’t charge those rates now to stuff more money in their pockets, edgy do you think they could charge more to pay the players more?
@filihok
Thanks for coming out but clearly you don’t understand a single word I wrote. Typical of you, though, as you keep replying without even reading my logic. Next…
OY
Ok. I can admit when I’m wrong or misunderstand something
Explain your logic to me. How will
“start to see MLB-level charges for seats”?
And why don’t we see them now?
@filihok
1. I said I was being sarcastic to start…
but…
2. If this becomes a trend of signing their young guys to mega contracts, the price of fielding these teams will increase significantly.
Again, I doubt that to be the case but one never knows.
OY
“2. If this becomes a trend of signing their young guys to mega contracts, the price of fielding these teams will increase significantly.”
Yes
But how will teams bring in more revenue to pay for those extra costs? And why don’t they do that now?
@filihok
They charge what they think the market will bear along with profits. Pretty basic economic theory. If the market will bear $400 tickets and people will attend, they will charge it.
OY
“They charge what they think the market will bear”
This is correct
So… They can’t just charge more because fielding a team becomes more expensive
So… How did your statement about MLB level prices make sense?
@filihok
MLB charges more as the teams get more expensive. Do you still think I can get into the game for a nickel? LOL!
OY
“MLB charges more as the teams get more expensive”
You’re contradicting yourself
You, correctly, said that teams will charge what the market will bear
So, again, if they market will bear MLB prices, why don’t they charge then?
If the market won’t bear them, how can they charge them if fielding a team gets more expensive?
Old York and filihok, you both realize that the parent club pays the salaries of its minor league players, right? Signing Keith for $2.5 mill. for 2024 won’t cost the Toledo Mud Hens a plumb nickel if he’s assigned to that team. The cost gets paid by the Tigers!
@For Love of the Game
And you do realize that clubs don’t just eat the costs.
I guess not…
OY
“MLB charges more as the teams get more expensive”
You’re contradicting yourself
You, correctly, said that teams will charge what the market will bear
So, again, if they market will bear MLB prices, why don’t they charge then?
If the market won’t bear them, how can they charge them if fielding a team gets more expensive?
@filihok
Do you think businesses just eats all the costs and keep prices at zero percent increase? What economic school did you attend?
OY
Please further the discussion by answering the questions
If the market will bear MLB level prices, why don’t teams charge them?
If the market won’t bear MLB level prices, how can they increase revenue by charging them?
I’ll answer your questions after you answer those. And, you’re going to want to read that answer
@filihok
You’re completely off point. I’ve answered your questions 100 times and you can’t be bothered to defend your argument. Oh well. Enjoy your life.
Colt Keith’s contract will be paid by the Tigers, not the Mud Hens. The Mud Hens will charge ticket prices that maximize their profits, or at least will try to do so. Player payroll is not one of their expenses and won’t factor into their pricing. The Tigers will charge what they think will maximize their profits, including the higher payroll from signing Colt Keith. But realize that almost all businesses are price-takers, not price-setters. Incurring higher costs doesn’t automatically allow a business to raise prices, although they might attempt to. I am an economist, by the way (and, yes, I am completely serious).
“as you keep replying without even reading my logic.”
This would be a fair point if you were making any logical sense. You’re not.
The rare occurence of a pre-debut salary (which is only going to happen because the team plans on debuting said player within that calendar year) is not going to raise the cost of tickets anymore.
It’s the same ludicrous and uninformed mindset that high MLB salaries raise the price of MLB tickets, an idea that has been debunked more times than your fifth grade math education can count to.
Colt Keith’s contract, which is paid by the Detroit Tigers, won’t have any bearing on the Toledo Mud Hens, which is a completely different organization, with different finances.
The Mud Hens don’t have to charge to recoup Keith’s salary because it’s not a line item for them. They literally do not pay it, so there’s no need to raise costs accordingly.
You sure do talk down to people a lot for someone who has no earthly idea what you’re talking about.
OY
You have not answered them
If the Mud Hens can charge MLB level prices, why don’t they?
FLotG
One thing at a time
We first have to get OY to figure out that businesses can’t just raise their prices and make more money. If they could, everything would cost infinity dollars
That seems like the bigger issue I’m OY’s thinking
and just today Kieth received a spot on the 40 man. So now Detroit can benefit draft wise when Kieth breaks camp as the 2nd baseman with a contract and no issues of service time.
@naldo482
All the best to him. Let’s hope I’m wrong and he’s the second coming of Babe Ruth.
Why is the former Pirate Gregory Polanco never mentioned in these prospect signing articles?
Because he already played 2 seasons of mlb before being extended. So he had mlb experience and not a prospect. Vs prospect and no mlb experience.
I remember Polanco was hitting around 400 at AAA and Pittsburgh left him there for that extra year of control. I’m glad they have that prospect incentive now. I remember at the time that was a travesty. The guy was beyond ready even though he ended up petering out.
That’s exactly what I’m referring to. Bob Nutting committed extortion against Polanco to pressure him into signing a contract.
It’s sweet that the contract was a total bomb on Nutting, but it’s worth bringing up again in this discussion.
I hope someone tells Scottie Harris what happened… There’s no way he had any part of this.
You wanted them to get a GM, they did and things have been smoother since Greenberg got there. Give credit where credit is due. Hopefully Skubal, Greene and Tork are next for extensions.
Only possible if none have Boras as their Agent.
Congratulations, son, you are set for life. Good for you. You might end up selling yourself short, but that would only happen if you had a great career. That is far from guaranteed. But you are set for life!
I hope it works out (for both sides), but he hasn’t played 1/3rd of an inning in the big leagues…..
This feels like an amazing deal for Detroit but I’m not sure what Keith was thinking. He’d easily make more than that on the open market if his career works out.
Because even at the end of it he will only be 30
Station to station slap-d*ck without a true defensive position and middling to subpar power…. what could possibly go wrong?
You obviously haven’t see him play or even paid attention to him and his rise.
Middling to subpar power is a crazy statement for a guy who just hit that many HRS and has bulked up over 240 lbs
Keith was drafted by Al Avila. This was the covid shortened 2020 draft. The Tigers took him in the 5th round even as he was probably 1st round material. He was committed to play at Arizona State.
He had as close to major league potential as anybody and it was a surprise he signed. Tigers went big.
For everyone who continues to gripe about Al Avila as Tiger GM, remember this kid. He has the potential to be another ASU caliber middle infielder like Dustin Pedroia or Ian Kinsler.
Kudos to Scott Harris. It remains to be seen, but I suspect Harris has that ability to “see around corners” skillset when evaluating ML talent.
Low ceiling prospect signs deal to take care of his family. Smells like the Astros-Jon Singleton pact.
I hardly think so. If he was low ceiling, he wouldn’t get that kind of money in the 1st place.
If you look at it, the money is the kind they would probably pay out over the same 5 years anyway if Keith becomes a reliable major leaguer. If he gets into the conversation for ROY, this deal, alone, would be justified.
Keith doesn’t have a superstar’s ceiling & didn’t get super star money. It’s an appropriate risk/reward deal. He’s projecting like an above average regular/occasional all star.
That’ll be well worth the cash if he hits it.
Maybe you should read some reviews on him. I’ve seen him mentioned as a candidate for ROY.
LOL. Candidacy before ever appearing in MLB. Pffft.
Think the ceiling is a bit higher than jon singleton. Hopefully he smokes less pot than jon tho
Of course there is risk in signing a kid to an MLB deal for 6 years who has never played an inning in the majors. But for perspective, Jordan Zimmermann made $24, $25, and $25 million in the last three seasons of his contract with the Tigers. So even IF Keith is a total bust, this deal will not hamper the Tigers a bit payroll wise. Keith busting would be more painful to the Tigers than the lost money.
Speaks to the confidence the Tigers have in Keith. Is this a one off or a sign of things to come. We shall see.
I just wish they would have waited until he actually got to the big leagues, and maybe the following offseason so the deal wasn’t a distraction midseason. The numbers are a deal, but if he ends up being subpar, the press and pundits will frame this deal as Harris’s second blunder (after E-Rod). Giving a prospect already under team control $28 million before he even made it to the bigs.
Like it or not, this deal lacks fiscal prudence.
HARRIS’ first blunder was cutting two time Tiger of the Year, Jaimer Candelario, over a $1MM disagreement, when he had no replacement for 3B. He still hasn’t filled the spot. 2nd blunder was trading Gregory Soto, A two time All Star, 100mph+ LH closer for spare parts. The E-Rod trade fiasco was just his most embarrassing.
All signs pointed to the Candelerio move as being prudent. Decent defense, but his bat had become a liability. Also, Kriedler was a very viable backup plan until he got hurt very early in the season.
It’s easy to look back and blame Harris simply because he did regain his form and the Tigers backup plan was wiped out. But, almost every other player who has ever been cut from a team under those circumstances didnt go on to flourish. Candy was the exception.
Stymedone…stats tell the tale on Candelario and Soto. Harris tried to deal a volatile pitcher in Soto with control issues for two players who looked like they might be able to fill holes. Maton bombed and Vierling turned out to be a backup. He took a chance. Soto was easily replaced by a better relief pitcher who got ROY votes. I wish he would have kept Candelario and agree that was a mistake but…you act like he cut Brooks Robinson or Mike Schmidt! Candy was okay, but no star and he played terribly the year he got cut. Nobody bats 1.000. All GMs make mistakes and he’s also had some wins including signing Keith to an extension. Don’t agree with your take.
“He’s also had some wins including signing Keith to an extension.”
Dude has never played an MLB game, how do you know this is a win? You don’t. Kool aid must taste good. I can’t think of any smart move made by Detroit in… at least three years
Claiming Tyler Holten off waivers
I guess you don’t watch them since you don’t know.
If he has a good rookie year, he’ll probably cost a lot more than $28M to sign.
Agree. I think the Tigers are darn sure he’s going to be a solid player.
Even if he doesn’t open the season in Detroit, he’ll be there soon enough.
However, if he’s in the ROY conversation they would not be able to sign him next off season for the money they just signed him for. Clearly, both sides liked this price.
Yes, the Tigers are taking a risk, but Keith now doesn’t have to worry that his next 0-20 streak is the end of his career. Both sides are making a commitment.
Kill the draft
Everyone is a free agent
Prospects have massive value
Let them get paid what they are worth
While I agree with the sentiment it would eliimiinate a lot of minor league players. Most minor league teams would fold under those conditions. Teams couldn’t afford a large minor league system. Only the top prospects would be playing.
True, but Keith and Chourio are not considered equivalent prospects at all. There is risk in both though.
Teams should have faith in their abilities to predict which prospects will succeed and which ones won’t. If the team is confident, place a bet. Predicting correctly can pay future dividends when it comes to team building as more cash is available. That’s what the Tigers are doing here. It’s a little more risky in that Keith is not a top 3, 5 or even top 10 prospect. They could reduce the risk by makiing the offer after he has a season in the Bigs under his belt, but then he’ll cost more. The Tigers know all this, and they obviously are believers.
Colt Keith will probably be in the ROY discussion all year so if he wins it, Tigers get an extra sandwich pick 1st & 2nd round!
This makes zero sense as the Tigers would of had 6 years of control on him anyway. I don’t understand the point of giving out these contracts other than to give the player less stress. Extend a guy in year 3, not in year 0 or 1
Tigers are getting him for 8 years and $82 million. Roughly $50+ million comes after he earns free agency. In 6 years, $50 million for 3 years of an every day, ML infielder with a couple of all star selections will be a steal.
How much does a 28 y/o 2B who hits .250, 20 HR and 75 RBIs cost these days? In 6 years he will be a bargain.
If he’s a bust the Tigers spent $28-30 million for 5 years of his career. Heck, they’re paying Baez $23 million/yr. now and I bet Keith outproduces him every year for a quarter the cost.
I like Harris’s thinking here.
Nine years
If he’s a bust it’s 28.5M for 6 years, 24 for the first 6 with 4.5M in options after that. If he’s terrible, not really a big deal to spend 4M per year for a few years. If he’s any good, a huge win for ownership.
But won’t take the sting out of the Lions blowing that 17 point halftime lead, geez!
I read something about the Tigers shying away from Matt Chapman for one-year, $20 million to reduce blockage for Keith.
How does one affect the other? Keith is a 2nd-base-man, isn’t he?
Curious what your source for the Chapman rumor is. I see the main obstacle for signing Chapman for the Tigers is the loss of a draft pick. The main obstacle for Chapman would be he wants a 5 year contract, and the Tigers won’t offer that.
Keith will be at 2nd because of an arm injury. Hopefully will be able to play 3B in the future.
Third base will be by committee until Jung is ready by mid season
motorcitybengals.com/posts/matt-chapman-detroit-ti…
…referencing a Detroit News article
I don’t think Chapman will take a 1 year deal and Detroit won’t be interested for more than that with Jung getting close. I’m curious about your source too. I’d like to read that. Future infield will be…Jung, Baez, Keith and Tork. Possibly Dingler catching, but he’s stalling a little the higher he gets.
I read that article about Chapman too. It came up on my feed but I don’t remember which site.
Absolutely pointless and stupid.
Hire the Superfife!
No reason for this.
So, once again the Tigers are rushing prospects to grab headlines instead of paying a tradable vet…….
10 years already…..RIDICULOUS!
Nah, Keith is ready. 70 xbh while hitting 309 at AA and AAA. You can’t do much more.
How are they rushing him? Check the guys stats! He has nothing left to prove in AAA.
Because he didn’t need to be on the 40 man roster. Whether he plays well or not is irrelevant. There are so many more opportunities to build a deeper, more consistently contending team. How many “saviors” have we had in the last 10 years?
We could have had a contender a long, long time ago but the fans allow horse hockey. You guys appear brain washed. I named 3 guys the other day, all with batting averages better than all but one Tiger. I can NOT believe the reaction. Really, dude? Do you realise they could slam the door shut…but don’t? Too “economically conscious”.
FANS DON’T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE DIRT!
Same trick
Different year.
Same trick
Different DECADE
Ummh no.
A+++++ to the moon for Keith. Love it.
D for Detroit. Kid has to really be something to Justify this. More power can develop. Or improved defense. And they will look brilliant. Right now he is a below average 3b who doesn’t move well but can hit 20 some hrs a year. That could be worth this contract or they could have waited longer and could have bought out his arbitration and added on a few years.
Does he start opening day?
They should make him earn it
Yeah, unless he has a horrible spring.
The risk aspect for the Tigers borders between possible bust to a calculated move of necessity. On one hand, if he does become a bust, the financial obligation isn’t crippling, like the case of Scott Kingery in Philadelphia. If Keith meets his potential as a middle of the lineup hitter, it will be a success, in the case of Evan Longoria with Tampa Bay.
I think one of the bigger reasons for this deal is the on going difficulty some teams have in retaining their talent. Let’s be honest, a team like Detroit has a far better chance of retaining a player they develop than luring the best free agents on the market.
By showing their commitment first, the player shows his loyalty by surrendering some of his potential earning power, however, 28 million through arbitration is a helluva return.
Clearly they did this because Keith likes them young
The Tigers get a nice bargain if this guy becomes a star.
Still a nice bargain if he’s league average….
If he’s league average he wouldn’t make 28 29 million in arbitration. Wouldn’t cost 40 50 60 million for 2 extra years.
Attention Blue jays…….that’s how you do it
Also why are there these porn like adds coming up all of a sudden…..mlbtr, fix this.
I’m confused why they signed him to a 6-year deal when they already had cheap control of him for 6 years to begin with?
Nine years
?
7 years as long as they keep him in minors until mid April. Mid June would avoid super two and not allow him to contend for ROY if he is that good.
6 yeara guaranteed $. 3 team option years.
They are betting on him being a star and instead of giving him hundreds of millions double digit years they get 2 more of his prime years for 50 60 million.
Tigers are ruining baseball.
Look at them giving all that money to a player whose never played in the majors.
/Dumb taek
“Look to build upon a surprising 2nd place finish in the AL Central”
Whoaaaaa Nellie. Let’s just get to .500 first. The fact that the 2nd place team was six games under says the division was pathetic.
Regular season doesn’t matter. If you can slip in it is what you can do in the playoffs.
Tigers would get wiped in the DS. Next year and the next five. Detroit sucks. The AL Central sucks too.
I’ll just be happy if the Tigers make it to the playoffs after a long layoff. It’s anybodys game in the playoffs, hence the Texas and Arizona final last year. Why so angry when your team is doing so well? It’s not the Tigers fault you couldn’t come up with a better user name.
Angry? Just speaking facts. Tigers aren’t making playoffs even in that weak division. My original comment stands, as does my choking in Britton’s place at Buck’s insistence…
The problem with these not-there-yet deals is they press the accelerator on the player’s development. If they get sent back down, it’s seen as a failure, if they keep him up and he struggles, it’s seen as a failure. Some players need a year or two in the minors or bouncing between to set up the future success. Look at the no-man’s land that Jon Singleton fell into as a result of his deal.
Also soon to be signed.
COLT SEVERS
COLT MCCOY
COLT REVOLVER
COLT PISTOL
SAMUEL COLT
COLT ANDERSON
COLT BRENNAN
COLT DAVID
so far………………
@Jackson13 And COLT 45.
These long-term contracts before playing in MLB are about as likely as winning at roulette. Odds definitely against any team that does it, yet they still try it. Always bring up the few that worked out well…. the huge payouts… rarely mention the contracts that went south… the bad nights where you bust out.
In other words, Detroit’s FO looked at Jon Singleton, Evan White, Scott Kingery and said “hold our Little Caesar’s
why didnt you mention Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert? did they not fit your narrative?
ckf
Because most people only have around a middle school level understanding of how reason works.
They don’t understand they should look at both sides of a question
It’s annoying in baseball discussing
It’s devastating in more important situations
@ckf
No, they did not. 😉
Dean Palmer 2.0?
They only committed 24M to him over 6 years, with buyouts after that. That’s an average of 4M/year. Unless he is terrible, that’s a good team deal for even an average major league player. If he’s actually good, the 3 years after that will be bargains as well. Very low risk with how many years it is spread out. For a top 25 prospect that they like this seems like a good move, to me.
I like it. Good move by the Tigers. Colt Keith is their most promising prospect with some very good minor league numbers under his belt, knocking on the Major League door. CK will fill a huge void at 2B, leaving just 3B (&SS) as question marks going forward.
Should be committee @ 3B in ’24, with Jace or even better – Alex Bregman – a FA signee – in ’25.
Javy hopefully will regain some offensive value. If not, SS is a open casting call. Would be nice to see Kreidler have a bounce-back season. He has a Major League glove at SS; needs to add the bat, though.
You’d never even be given any chance in today’s baseball culture……
Now they’re going to take up.a spot on the 40 instead of signing a tradable vet FA player?
Yes. He is a good ball player.
How about maximizing the teams potential?
Over 10 years later, Tiger fans buy the same cup. You’d think they’d catch on.
Prospect hopeful #?
Who is jTarik Skubal?