When the Tigers decided Kevin McGonigle was ready to jump straight to the Opening Day roster, the move that followed barely registered at the time. Detroit under Scott Harris has been deliberate with its young players, and even Jackson Jobe - once baseball’s former No. 1 pitching prospect - had to spend time in Toledo before reaching the majors. McGonigle skipping Triple-A signaled the Tigers were convinced he was special.
That part has played out. But the player Detroit gave up in the corresponding move is looking plenty special himself.
Dylan Smith was designated for assignment and then traded to the Giants for cash, a surprising return for a pitcher who ranked among the Tigers’ top 30 prospects. The early move looked like a simple roster shuffle. It has turned into something more painful for Detroit.
Smith opened the year in Triple-A Sacramento and got just one appearance in May before the Giants called him back up in June. Since then, he has settled into their bullpen and become a real late-inning option.
On Wednesday, Smith delivered two scoreless innings against the Guardians in a 1-0 win, allowing one hit and striking out five for his third save of the season. It was the kind of outing that makes you wonder why he isn’t doing that work for the Tigers.
Instead, Detroit is watching from a distance while Smith handles high-leverage innings for San Francisco. He’s been getting the ball in the ninth this month and has climbed Tony Vitello’s trust tree, especially after closer Caleb Kilian was traded to the Phillies in the Luis Arraez deal.
The Tigers’ decision to move on from Smith looked odd then and looks even worse now. There were other arms on the 40-man roster who seemed easier to clear, and Detroit could have simply optioned Smith out of spring training. He hadn’t exactly given them a reason to push him aside, either, posting a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings while finishing five games.
Now he’s become one of the Giants’ most valuable relievers by bWAR, ranking ahead of even starters Landon Roupp and Adrian Houser by that measure.
For a Tigers team that could use bullpen help right now, Smith’s rise is a tough one to miss. Harris clearly misread this one, and Detroit is feeling the effects.
In Other News...
Max Clark Just Forced A Big Tigers Decision About The Future
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For Detroit, the appeal is obvious: locking in a player this young can bring cost certainty and keep a core talent in place before the price climbs even higher. The risk is just as clear, because any extension of that size asks the Tigers to make a major bet on early promise and continued growth. Deals for players such as Corbin Carroll and Konnor Griffin show why clubs chase that upside, but they also show how carefully teams have to weigh timing when a future cornerstone is still writing his first chapters. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger picture is changing, too, as recent trades have reshaped Detroits prospect rankings and pushed several new players into the top 10 while Brett Callahan has already moved on to the majors. In that context, Rainers performance is becoming harder to ignore for a fan base that is always looking ahead, and the next logical step in his climb is starting to feel like the question hanging over his season. The Tigers have plenty of moving parts in the system right now, but Rainers progression is one of the clearest reasons the organizations minor league picture feels so much more crowded. [Read more 🡒]