Signing Tarik Skubal to a long-term extension is certainly the Detroit Tigers’ biggest priority.
However, they have some other contract decisions that they’ll have to figure out over the next few years, including one with Riley Greene.
Greene, the top hitter on the Tigers roster, is only 24 years old and has continued to swing the bat at a very high level. He’s set to hit arbitration during the winter, and doesn’t hit free agency until 2029.
However, the longer the Tigers wait, the more expensive he’ll likely become. Some have questioned if he could potentially get an extension, but according to a recent report from Cody Stavenhagen, there has yet to be any dialogue between the Tigers and Greene’s agency.
“As of this past offseason, there hadn’t been any dialogue between the Tigers and Greene’s camp about an extension.
“Greene is a great player, but his injury history and the fact that he’s already getting slower physically (his average sprint speed has declined from the 59th percentile last year to the 34th percentile this season) make it an interesting discussion. He’s a proven All-Star worthy of a nine-figure deal. But if I’m the Tigers, I’d want to see as much of Greene as possible before committing to him long-term,” he wrote.
MORE: MLB insider urges Tigers to add starting pitcher at trade deadline
It isn’t a pressing need for the Tigers to get something done now, but again, the longer they wait, the more expensive he’ll become.
On the season, he leads the American League in strikeouts, but that isn’t too big of a worry considering he already has 19 home runs and a 148 OPS+. Greene is among the young elite hitters in baseball and should be compensated as such.
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