Wojo: Kevin McGonigle is Tigers’ face of the future, and the scorching present
Hard-wired and soft-spoken. For the Tigers and their fans, what’s not to love about Kevin McGonigle?
Detroit — Kevin McGonigle is humble and polite, hard-wired and soft-spoken. But what he and the Tigers just did is loud enough for everyone to hear. The Tigers made an immense commitment to their rookie infielder, signing him to an eight-year, $150-millon contract extension Wednesday.
Major-league teams have started taking the proactive approach — more prudent than risky — when they recognize they have a special young player. But even more impressive was the commitment McGonigle made to the Tigers. He signed away the opportunity to become a free-agent in 2031 and will make an average of $18.
75 million through the deal. He’s only 21 and has played 18 major-league games, so there’s a lot of projecting and guessing here. The thing is, McGonigle’s early performance defies guessing.
This is a deal that should work for everyone, but mostly for Tigers fans. At his current pace, McGonigle can become the face of the franchise, the home-grown guy who committed to stay even at his own financial risk. He gets a $14-million signing bonus but a salary of only $1 million next season.
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