3 reasons to be happy the Detroit Tigers extended Colt Keith before MLB debut

1. Other players who have gotten a deal, like Colt Keith, have excelled.

There's a history of this, with seven players who have signed contracts like this. The Chicago White Sox invested in Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez, which has worked out quite well for them. Both have played significant roles for Chicago in the last few years, and it has to be a nice vote of confidence for Colt Keith to see this success.

It's not to say that Jiménez and Robert are comparable to what Keith might be with Detroit. However, it should leave the Tigers faithful excited about what "could be" with his future. I'll be the first to admit that I was hoping Keith would start in Triple-A to build some confidence with video-game-like numbers for the first month or so before bringing him north to join the Tigers.

However, with this new contract, it feels like Keith will start in the big leagues. I've come around on this reality, I'm hopeful that he can pick up where he left off with his loud 2023 performance. The Tigers will be able to see him come out and be the player that many fans are hoping for.

2. Colt Keith could help solidify the core with Riley Greene & Spencer Torkelson.

As the Detroit Tigers get going with the 2024 season, expect Keith to get his first taste of the big leagues. It would mean a lot for the Tigers to solidify a core moving forward. They have some key pieces beyond the two mentioned in the header above, but they make up the Tigers' core duo moving forward.

On that note, Keith is hoping to come out and perform well. He's swung the bat exceptionally well at all levels and continued to move through the Tigers organization quite well. There's got to be hope for Keith to handle the bat well with the Tigers and make some noise.

If he is able to do that, Keith would be able to settle in at second or third for Detroit and become a true piece of the puzzle. It would be a huge step forward for Detroit. This rebuild needs to be expedited, and a big rookie campaign would help Keith start to make him part of the Tigers lineup.

It's something that should also leave Tigers fans excited for what's to come in 2024. It's early to jump to conclusions on what might happen, but fans should be looking forward to seeing how Keith factors into the lineup.

3. An excellent first year of this contract reaps benefits beyond the field.

Speaking of making himself part of the core, success from Keith in year one with the Detroit Tigers would allow them to add some draft capital for 2025 for free. Since Detroit only has two picks in the Top 50 in 2024, some extra high draft picks in 2025 would be nice as a supplement to the farm system.

For those of you scratching your head, the league has implemented new rules and promotions for teams, enticing them to avoid leaving players for years and years, which was the scenario for most of the last decade. The Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) allows players who may win Rookie of the Year (ROTY) to earn their team an amateur draft pick, which is in a special "round between the first and second rounds and is viewed as part of Day 1 of the First-Year Amateur Draft.

Players who finish in the running for the ROTY award and qualify for PPI will also earn their team a pick, but it will be in the international draft. On top of that, if Keith can finish in the top three for voting for the MVP award, he could earn a pick in that compensation round.

It's bold to predict Keith to go out and win a ROTY award, but it sure would be incredible for Keith to break into the league and establish himself in year one.... and.... earn the Tigers some extra draft capital.