Tigers give a $28.6M, 6-year deal to 22-year-old prospect Colt Keith

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers made an unusual bet on a player with no major-league experience, agreeing Sunday to a six-year contract with 22-year-old Colt Keith that guarantees the infield prospect $28,642,500.

His deal includes three team options that could make it worth $64 million over nine seasons, and the Tigers said there are escalators that increase the value to $82 million over nine years.

Keith is ranked the No. 22 big-league prospect by MLB.com.

A left-handed-hitting third baseman and second baseman, Keith is from Zanesville, Ohio, and was a fifth-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Biloxi High School in Mississippi.

He hit .325 with 14 homers and 50 RBIs in 59 games last year for Double-A Erie, then was promoted to Triple-A Toledo on June 26 and batted .287 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs in 67 games.

Keith gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $2.5 million in 2024, $3.5 million in 2025, $4 million each in 2026 and ’27 and $5 million apiece in 2028 and ’29. Detroit has a $10 million option for 2030 with a $2,642,500 buyout, a $13 million option for 2031 with a $1 million buyout and a $15 million option for 2032 with a $2 million buyout.

Atlanta agreed last month to an $82 million, eight-year contract with 19-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio, the largest contract for a prospect with no major-league service.

Detroit has had losing records in seven straight seasons. The Tigers have not won a World Series since 1984 and have not won an AL pennant since 2012.