How Tigers' Kevin McGonigle can earn $5 million if he's traded

How Tigers' Kevin McGonigle can earn $5 million if he's traded originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Detroit Tigers made a huge decision a few weeks into the 2026 MLB Season, as they extended Kevin McGonigle on a long-term deal.

Detroit signed him to a $150 million, eight-year extension, keeping the Tigers prospect around through the 2034 season. It's a massive deal, and there's a bit more to this contract than meets the eye. As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared, if the Tigers were to ever trade McGonigle, he'd earn an extra $5 million.

But, how? The 21-year-old Tigers star has a clause in his contract that will force whichever team acquires him to spend $5 million to do so. Tigers' Kevin McGonigle can earn $5 million if he's traded "Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle didn't negotiate a no-trade clause in his eight-year, $150 million extension, but he got the next best thing," Rosenthal writes.

"A $5 million assignment bonus any time his contract is moved to another club. " This assignment bonus isn't uncommon in Major League Baseball, but it being this high is a very noteworthy development. What this means is that a team that is trading for McGonigle will have to pay the infielder $5 million to acquire him, on top of the package they'd send to the Tigers.