Less than a week after making his major-league debut, MLB\u2019s top prospect Konnor Griffin and the Pittsburgh Pirates signed a team-record $140 million, nine-year extension, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday, giving the Pirates a potential franchise anchor into the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n
The deal, announced by the Pirates, could be worth up to $150 million with performance incentives.<\/p>\n
Griffin, who turns 20 on April 24, is a five-tool phenom who could be the sport\u2019s most exciting prospect since Mike Trout. Griffin\u2019s arrival late last week<\/a>, in which he became the youngest Pirates player to hit safely in his debut since the late Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski in 1956, applied the accelerator on what Pirates owner Bob Nutting called \u201ca foot-on-the-gas year\u201d for the club.<\/p>\n While the Pirates front office has attempted to tamp down expectations for the teenager, Griffin\u2019s ceiling conjures incredible hope for a fan base desperate for a return to relevance. The Pirates have reached the postseason just three times since 1992, and since Barry Bonds walked in \u201992, they\u2019ve had only one other NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen.<\/p>\n When the Pirates promoted Griffin to the majors, they did so believing that even if he struggles offensively he\u2019ll be an upgrade with his speed and defense alone. So far, that has proven true. With game-changing speed<\/a> and smooth moves at shortstop<\/a>, Griffin has regularly generated highlights even as he\u2019s been slow to get going at the plate, with a 3-for-17 line through five games.<\/p>\n Griffin is the latest in a series of early extensions. Recently, the Seattle Mariners signed shortstop prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million contract<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the largest deal given to a player who has yet to make his MLB debut \u2014 and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to\u00a0ink minor-league shortstop Cooper Pratt<\/a>, a lower-ranked prospect, to an eight-year, $51 million contract with two option years. Griffin\u2019s exceed both by $45 million.<\/p>\n For the Pirates, Griffin\u2019s contract marks an unprecedented commitment. Even for a small-market franchise that views early-career extensions \u2014 such as the ones signed by Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Bryan Reynolds, Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller \u2014 as vital to its ability to contend, the Pirates had never given out a contract worth more than Reynolds\u2019 $106.75 million extension before Griffin arrived.<\/p>\n