Konnor Griffin's extension just gave Tigers perfect sweet spot with Kevin McGonigle

On Wednesday morning, the Pirates finalized their nine-year, $140 million deal with baseball's No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin.

Buster Olney's initial reporting of the deal-in-progress dropped almost a week ago, but the Pirates had to be smart about their timing. Griffin hadn't been officially called up yet, and solidifying a contract ahead of his debut would've voided his eligibility for Rookie of the Year. He was called up the day after Olney's tweet, and is now getting the largest contract in franchise history — while still being eligible for the RoY.

Tigers fans have been anxiously awaiting to hear any such news out of Detroit on our own No. 1 prospect Kevin McGonigle. Jeff Passan buried a tidbit at the very end of a column on Griffin's deal that revealed McGonigle (and the Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt) had also engaged in extension talks, but neither were close to a deal.

The front office already has a jumping-off point for a McGonigle contract with Roman Anthony's eight-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox, but Griffin's nine-year, $140 million pact provides a perfect bookend. Put McGonigle right there in the middle, and we may have ourselves a deal.

Konnor Griffin's record-setting deal gives Tigers their ceiling for a Kevin McGonigle extension

The Tigers could present McGonigle with an offer he can't refuse — in other words, something bigger than Griffin's contract — but we all know that's not going to happen. For all of Scott Harris' talk about the importance of player development and sticking to homegrown guys, he hasn't materially invested in any of them apart from Colt Keith, who was never anywhere close to McGonigle in terms of hype and potential.

Besides, while it might be fair to predict that McGonigle will turn out to be a more complete player than Anthony, we can't be so quick to say the same with Griffin, who might be baseball's most highly-touted prospect in years.

So we now have ourselves the perfect middle ground. Eight years and $136 million, for a $17 million AAV, could get the job done. Anthony's contract structure, which has exponential growth in money owed after 2028 and is laden with escalators, could suit the Tigers very well.

The Tigers aren't necessarily in any rush, but McGonigle's asking price will only get higher and higher the longer they wait and the longer he stays Detroit's best hitter. It's comforting to know that conversations are taking place, but we're getting antsy.