3 contract extension candidates Tigers need to prioritize in 2025

There's an undeniable excitement for this Tigers squad and what they could do in 2025, especially after Alex Bregman's refusal of a better, long-term offer from Detroit in favor of the Red Sox made fans even hungrier to see a great team without him.

There are ways they can redirect the money they saved by losing Bregman, though, and investing it toward the players they already have could be their next course of action. If that's their strategy, then where should Scott Harris and the front office begin?

3 contract extension candidates Tigers need to prioritize in 2025

Tarik Skubal

This one is a no-brainer, and hopefully the Tigers are still actively working on a new proposal to put in front of Skubal after their reported offer from the beginning of the offseason didn't even get close to what he was looking for.

Fans would hope that, because the Tigers showed they actually are willing to spend money with their failed pursuit of Bregman, they can recommit at least some of what they might've given to Bregman to their homegrown Cy Young winner. But the Tigers are still in an unfavorable position for a few reasons: Skubal is a Scott Boras client, and Boras clients typically do not sign extensions. Plus, Skubal joined the MLBPA's executive subcommittee, which means he'll be expected to set a high bar with his earnings.

However, if seven years and $188 million could get a deal over the line, the Tigers should get that done yesterday.

Riley Greene

When the Athletics extended Brent Rooker for five years and $60 million, the Tigers got a nice blueprint for a potential extension for Greene. Greene isn't as established as Rooker and doesn't have two consecutive 30+ homer seasons under his belt, but if he can stay healthy throughout 2025 and can turn his hitting from last year up a notch (.262 average, .827 OPS, 24 homers) while continuing to play defense with the best of them in left field, the Tigers could have an MVP candidate on their hands.

After Skubal, Greene seems like the Tigers' most obvious extension candidate. He's certainly the best of the Tigers' recent first-round draft picks, from Matt Manning in 2016 to Spencer Torkelson in 2020 (Alex Faedo and Casey Mize are the other two wedged in there). The Tigers will probably want to see what he can do in 2025 since he still has four years of team control left, but they'll probably want to start getting some early figures together now.

Parker Meadows

Meadows isn't nearly as close to earning an extension as Skubal or Greene, but he should be one that the Tigers at least take into consideration this season. Though he was demoted last season and has a lot to prove, he hit .296 with a .840 OPS after he was brought back to the majors (and then came off the injured list) and showed off a flashy glove in center field. That has created a lot of hype for a breakout 2025 (if he can stay healthy).

The Tigers have already doled out extensions for less (see: Colt Keith's six-year deal before he ever swung a bat in the majors), so Meadows could be one they get at an affordable price that will at least keep him in Detroit a little bit beyond when he's due to become a free agent.