Projecting a Max Clark extension as Tigers continue to prioritize homegrown talent

Tigers fans may not be anticipating any big spending on free agents this offseason, but we might be able to hold out hope for another headline-making extension. They might not have added a bat last year, but they took some of the heat off of themselves when they extended Kevin McGonigle just 17 games into his major league career.

There are a couple other obvious candidates: Riley Greene, Troy Melton, and Max Clark. Scott Harris was asked directly about the possibility of a Greene extension in his exit interview and declined to comment, but it doesn't hurt to speculate.

Clark took a little more time to settle into the major leagues than McGonigle, but there's reason to believe his success will be just as repeatable.

If the Tigers aren't going to become buyers, they might need to start thinking a little more like the Brewers, who locked up Jackson Chourio to an eight-year, $82 million extension in 2023 that already looks like a massive underpay. Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara both received incredibly team-friendly deals this season.

The Tigers tried the pre-debut thing with Colt Keith, and it hasn't worked out as swimmingly, but early action could save them a lot of trouble down the line (just look at what happened with Tarik Skubal), and continue to show that they're still making good on their commitment to forming a solid homegrown foundation.

Predicting a Max Clark-Tigers contract extension that could start off of 2027 with a bang

The thing about the Brewers that no doubt infuriates their NL Central rivals is their ability to identify talent early and bet (usually correctly) on the way those players will mature in the major leagues. Chourio's extension has escalators that will allow him to earn up to $140 million, but even that feels like far too little for a newly-minted postseason hero.

The Tigers have had difficulty identifying players like that. There's an argument to be made that luck factored in heavily with McGonigle. There's always a risk involved with extensions, but at least Detroit has seen a little more of Clark and can make evaluations based on his major league performance.

It's unlikely that the Tigers would give Clark a contract that would surpass McGonigle's eight-year, $150 million deal (with incentives that could push it to $160 million), but maybe eight years, $140 million, which would put him at a $17.5 million AAV?

If the front office has even had the thought, they should probably act on it as soon as possible, before the inevitable lockout and players becoming even more bullish in their pursuit of market-setting or -breaking contracts.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow