Comparing Griffin’s contract to recent other deals

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – First it was the Pirates calling up baseball’s top prospect Konnor Griffin, then Buster Olney was first to reports Griffin will sign a nine-year, $140 million contract.

The 19-year-old Griffin has only played one year of professional baseball, all in the minors. So how does this contract stack up with recent deals for young players.

Here are some comparisons to Griffin’s contract.

• Of current MLB players the only one to sign a long-term deal as a 19-year-old is Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio, eight-years for $82 million in 2024. He had played a couple of years in the minors before signing, with 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 91 RBI, .282/.338/.805 between AA and AAA in 2023. In his first full season in the majors, he hit .275/.327/.791 with 29 doubles, 21 home runs, 79 RBI and 22 stolen bases.

• The largest contract for a 20-year-old was Wander Franco with the Rays for 11 years, $182 million in 2022. He had played 70 games in the majors with 18 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, .288/.347/.810 before signing his contract.

• This season the Mariners signed 20-year-old shortstop Colt Emerson for eight years, $95 million. He was entering his fourth season of professional baseball, drafted as the 22^nd overall pick in 2023 a 17-year-old from New Concord, Ohio. He started the season in AAA.

• Brewers signed shortstop Cooper Pratt, 21, for eight years, $50.75 million. He was a sixth-round pick in 2023 and never played higher than AA where he hit .238/.348/.691 with 22 doubles, eight home runs in 120 games. He is starting the season in AAA.
• Roman Anthony, a second-round pick in 2022, signed a 9-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox in August at age 21 after playing a couple of months at MLB hitting .329 in July days before he signed.

Pirates haven’t made the contract official, but that’s mostly due to the team remaining PPI eligible. As long as the contract is finalized after Griffin begins his Major League career, the Bucs would gain an extra draft pick if he wins the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year or with a top-three finish in MVP voting in any of his first three seasons.