Tigers trade top prospect to Giants after Kevin McGonigle roster shuffle

On March 25, the Tigers designated reliever Dylan Smith for assignment to accommodate Kevin McGonigle on the 40-man roster ahead of Opening Day.

While Smith's side of the move went mostly unnoticed — who cared who got cut if it meant McGonigle would be in the Opening Day lineup? — there were reasons for fans to hope that Detroit's No. 21 prospect in 2026 would go unclaimed on waivers and return to the organization. He had a brief but successful debut stint last year, pitching 13 innings for a 1.38 ERA from early June through early July.

The Tigers sent him down after that appearance in one of their more confusing roster shuffles, and he spent some time on Toledo's IL, which kept him from being called up again that season. He pitched just 2 1/3 innings in big league camp this spring before was optioned back to Triple-A at the beginning of March.

FanSided's Robert Murray reported on Monday that the Tigers had found a taker for Smith. He'll head to the Giants in exchange for cash considerations.

Tigers trade top prospect Dylan Smith to Giants in exchange for cash considerations

The Giants' main concern right now isn't their pitching — even though Logan Webb gave up seven runs on Opening Day against the Yankees — after New York shut them out twice and outscored them 13-1 en route to a sweep, but it never hurts to have a depth option like Smith, especially when San Francisco's bullpen isn't exactly elite.

Last season, the Tigers used him mostly in long relief, and he tended to be work pretty efficiently. In his last major league appearance as a Tiger, he pitched 3 1/3 scoreless, and he only needed 43 pitches to do it. He's had a difficult history of injury that slowed his minor league development, but he finally managed to break onto the Tigers' top-30 lists after his debut last season.

He would've been a decent depth option to reach for later in the season, or if either of righties Enmanuel De Jesus or Connor Seabold don't work out, but at least the Tigers are getting something back for him instead of just losing him outright to waivers.

If he can stay healthy, there may be more of a runway for him in San Francisco than there was in Detroit, too.