Detroit Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle seems pretty comfortable at the major league level, but one veteran doesn’t want him too comfortable.

McGonigle made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster, and he showed why he deserved it by notching four hits in his MLB debut.

McGonigle was back in action on Friday in San Diego against the Padres, and in the top of the second inning, he launched a ball to deep center field that traveled 403 feet. However, Jackson Merrill leaped and robbed McGonigle of his first home run.

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Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after hitting a two-RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California.  (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

In the bottom half of the inning, after Merrill doubled, McGonigle appeared to compliment Merrill on his catch, which Merrill thanked him for.

But that did not come before Merrill joked about McGonigle’s big Opening Day.

“You got four yesterday!” Merrill said to the rookie.

McGonigle became the 21st player in MLB history to have four hits in his MLB debut and the first to do it since J.P. Arancibia in 2010.

Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres makes a jumping catch during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California.  (Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

ALEX VESIA, DODGERS PITCHER WHO LOST INFANT DAUGHTER, GETS STANDING OVATION AFTER SCORELESS RETURN TO MOUND

Merrill’s home run robbery provided a boost early on, but McGonigle got revenge with a game-winning two-run single in a four-run eighth inning for Detroit en route to a 5-2 victory.

The Tigers choked a double-digit AL Central lead last season but still managed to get to the American League Division Series after defeating the same team who overtook them in the standings in the Cleveland Guardians.

Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers celebrates after hitting a two-RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on March 27, 2026, in San Diego, California.  (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

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The Padres played more October baseball as a wild-card team as the Los Angeles Dodgers took another NL West title before repeating as World Series Champions.

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It just made cents.

Major League Baseball star Merrill Kelly will pocket nearly $2.5 million more per year over the next two seasons of his $40 million deal by signing in Arizona instead of California.

The massive difference in cash reflects the spread in state income taxes as well as California’s disability insurance levy and typical property tax differences on a luxury home.

However, the overwhelming driver of the disparity is state income tax.

California’s top marginal rate reaches 13.3% — a 12.3% bracket plus an additional 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income above $1 million. On a $20 million salary, that translates to roughly $2.63 million owed to the state.

Arizona, by contrast, imposes a flat 2.5% income tax regardless of earnings. On the same $20 million contract, the bill comes to about $500,000.

That difference alone — approximately $2.13 million per year — accounts for nearly all of the gap.

California also withholds 1.3% for State Disability Insurance, with no wage cap. On a $20 million salary, that’s another roughly $260,000 — a levy Arizona does not impose.

Property taxes and sales taxes pale in comparison.

On a $10 million home, California’s effective property tax rate of roughly 0.70% would translate to about $70,000 annually, versus roughly $44,000 in Arizona at an effective rate near 0.44% — a difference of around $26,000 per year.

Even if the home price climbs higher, the property tax gap amounts to tens of thousands

Sales taxes vary by city and spending habits, but they are unlikely to materially alter the overall gap.

For example, if a player spent $1 million annually on taxable goods, a roughly 1 to 1.5 percentage-point difference between jurisdictions would amount to about $10,000 to $15,000 per year.

Even with lavish consumption, the sales tax impact would likely total tens of thousands.

The eye-popping gap came into focus after veteran right-hander Kelly cited California’s tax burden as a key reason he spurned the San Diego Padres and returned home to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I don’t think it’s any secret on how much money you get taken out of your pocket when you go to California,” the 37-year-old said.

“It’s just, like I said, they take too much money out of my pocket, man. The taxes over there are a different level.”

After mulling over a potential tax bill, the decision became clear.

“We had my numbers guy run the numbers, and it just made more sense to come home,” Kelly said.

Kelly isn’t the only professional athlete that has been impacted by the taxman in the Golden State.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will owe California roughly $249,000 in “jock taxes” after winning Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara — about $71,000 more than the $178,000 he earned for the game.

The bill stems from California’s rule that forces out-of-state athletes to pay state income tax based on the number of “duty days” they work in the state, with Darnold and the Seahawks accumulating eight days during their Super Bowl trip.

The $249,000 California bill was calculated by taking Darnold’s $35 million annual salary, dividing it by his total duty days for the year (roughly 200), then multiplying by the 8 duty days in California, and applying California’s13.3% rate.

If you swap in Arizona’s 2.5% rate with the same formula, Darnold’s bill would have been roughly $47,000 instead of $249,000 — about 80% less. He still would have come out ahead of his $178,000 Super Bowl bonus rather than losing money on it.

So the difference between playing the Super Bowl in California vs. Arizona would have been roughly $200,000 in Darnold’s pocket.