The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that Konnor Griffin will be on their big league roster for the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. There are also reports that Griffin and the organization are finalizing what will be a record breaking contract extension for the 19-year-old superstar.
News of the extension was broke by ESPN’s Buster Olney on X, stating that Griffin and the Pirates were working on signing a nine-year $140 million extension. This contract would make Griffin the highest paid player in franchise history, breaking the record previously held by All-Star Bryan Reynolds who received an eight-year $106.75 million extension in 2023. Griffin’s deal would have him making roughly $15.5 million a year.
Not only does it shatter any contract records from previous Pirates, it also breaks new ground for extensions given to a player with no service time in Major League Baseball. The previous record was held by the Seattle Mariners’ top prospect, Colt Emerson, who signed a deal for eight-years $95 million just days before the news broke of Griffin’s deal. The timing of this signing plays into future endeavors for the Pirates as well. Through the Prospect Promotions Incentive the organization could gain future draft capital if Griffin finishes as the Rookie of the Year or has a year where he finishes as a top MVP candidate before his arbitration period.
A contract of this size is unprecedented and uncharted territory for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Griffin’s contract extension to reiterate is the largest in franchise history, but this also could be a sign of things changing within the organization. In the Bob Nutting era the Pirates have been notoriously cheap. It took ten years between 2016 and 2026 for the organization to sign a free-agent to a multi-year contract. Now though the Pirates have shown that they are willing to make splash signings, be aggressive in the trade market and commit serious money to their young stars. Griffin could be just the first star for the Pirates to be tied down with a contract of this size. One would think that players like Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Brandon Lowe could be in line for extensions as well.
Griffin is the top prospect in baseball and although many were shocked that he got sent down to Triple-A following spring training, everyone knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he got promoted to Pittsburgh. While in Indianapolis he had a slash line of .438/.571/.625 with three steals and seven hits in 16 at bats.
The Konnor Griffin era in Pittsburgh is officially upon us. The Pirates made an incredible move to lock down a player like Griffin who shows promise to be a franchise cornerstone. Griffin is already in rarefied air, as he joins a small elite group of former top prospects to debut in the majors as a teenager. The likes of Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., and Bryce Harper all blazed their paths in baseball as teenagers and now Griffin is set to do the same as Pittsburgh’s big league shortstop of the future.
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