
Heading into the 2025-2026 offseason, the Detroit Tigers are a top contender and will look to sign players to long-term deals in free agency and explore the trade market.
But, instead of looking to add players in the offseason, the Tigers could instead look to lock up their own players before they hit free agency. Tarik Skubal is the obvious top contender for such a deal, but a 24-year-old All-Star is another great candidate to extend.
Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report named 10 players who are most likely in line to receive a contract extension in the offseason, and Tigers outfielder Riley Greene was identified as such a player.
Tigers’ Riley Greene Could Ink Long-Term Deal
If the Detroit Tigers are looking to sign Greene to a long-term deal, doing so before he gets too close to free agency would be a great way to keep him around on a more reasonable deal.
Instead of letting Greene hit free agency and seeing his contract demands go up due to competition, the Tigers could look to extend him early and ensure he sticks around beyond the 2028 season.
“They won’t all sign long-term deals,” Reuter writes, “but it would be a mild surprise if at least one or two of these guys are not locked up this winter.”
Teams are signing their young stars to long-term deals earlier than usual. One of the reasons can be seen with Skubal, who is going to be the most coveted free agent following the 2026 season.
Instead of risking his departure, the Tigers could sign him to a long-term deal without other teams’ pumping up the price tag. At this stage, however, a long-term deal for Skubal before he hits free agency isn’t likely.
MORE: One Jack Flaherty statistic that should concern Tigers fans
On the other hand, such a big extension for Greene is a lot more feasible. He’s going to be 25 at the start of the 2026 season, and amid his second All-Star season, there’s little reason for the Tigers not to be interested in signing him to a long-term deal.
Detroit also has some promising young prospects working their way up through the team’s farm system, which could further justify spending money on Greene, as they have cheap options outside of him at multiple key positions.
He has 32 home runs, 136 hits, and 101 RBIs, all career highs. His .840 OPS is also the best mark in his career. He’s one double shy of reaching a career-high mark of 28, and is, overall, having his best offensive season at the plate.
Even though he leads the AL in strikeouts with 169, Greene is the kind of player the Tigers should look to keep for the foreseeable future.
With his career-year offensively, if the Tigers don’t extend him beyond the 2028 season this offseason, a long-term deal will likely only increase in value.
Inking Greene to a long-term deal should be a no-brainer for the Tigers. He’s a core player for Detroit, and the sooner he’s extended, the better for the Tigers.
MORE MLB NEWS:
