Pirates Give Konnor Griffin Club-Record $140 Million Contract

At age 19, Konnor Griffin not only won the Pittsburgh shortstop job but a nine-year, $140 million pact, the team's largest and longest. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t pinching pennies anymore.

They agreed this week to pay 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin a reported $140 million over nine years. It is the largest and longest deal in club history, topping the $106.75 million Bryan Reynolds received three years ago.

Widely viewed as the top prospect in baseball, Griffin started the year in the minors but was quickly promoted to Pittsburgh. Written into the starting lineup for the first time on April 3, he collected an RBI double in his first at-bat.

Drafted ninth overall but first by the Pirates in the 2024 amateur draft, Griffin tore through the minors like an F-5 tornado in a Kansas wheat field. Never mind that he was just a high school player at the time of the draft.

Playing on three levels of the minors last summer, he hit a combined .333 with 21 home runs, 94 runs batted in, and 65 stolen bases.

Those numbers excited the Pirates, who haven’t had a winning record since 2018 or a playoff appearance since 2015. Any hopes they had last season collapsed when the club finished last in the majors in home runs, runs scored, and on-base plus slugging (OPS).

The team finished 71-91, costing manager Derek Shelton his job and finishing 26th in attendance, drawing just 1,525,025 to PNC Park, arguably the most photogenic in the majors.

Anxious to add to a faltering attack, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Marcell Ozuna to serve as their designated hitter. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Winter moves to bolster the offense brought veterans Marcell Ozuna, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn but the team believes the untested Griffin can mean much more. That’s why his new contract will carry him through 2034.

At an annual average of $15,555,555, according to Roster Resource, he’ll make more than any other Pirate, just ahead of pitcher Mitch Keller, who is earning $15,400,000.

“This is an unusual and dramatic step for the Pittsburgh Pirates,” chairman Bob Nutting told the local media. “I’m excited. I hope our fans are excited. And I hope the city is excited.”

The consensus Minor League Player of the Year for 2025, Griffin is considered a five-tool player.

“Speed, power, arm strength, he’s got it all,” gushed manager Don Kelly. “He’s got the personality. He’s humble. He’s the best.”

After starting consecutive All-Star Games, Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes took him his first Cy Young Award. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

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Griffin is basking in the same spotlight that shined on teammate Paul Skenes the last two years. He not only started consecutive All-Star Games for the National League but also won the NL’s Cy Young Award for 2025.

“The Pirates have believed in me for a long time,” Griffin said. “For two years, they allowed me to progress through the minor leagues, let me become the player that I am. I’m thankful to be here for another nine years. The stability is really important to me and my family. It’s a great opportunity.”

Griffin is the latest of nearly a dozen blue-chip prospects signed to massive contract extensions with virtually no major-league experience.

Among the others are Colt Emerson (Mariners), who got eight years at $95 million; Cooper Pratt (Brewers), recipient of $50.75 million over eight years; and Jackson Chourio (Brewers), given $82 million in an eight-year deal.

Also on that elite list are Colt Keith (Tigers), Luis Robert, Jr. (White Sox), Julio Rodriguez and Evan White (Mariners), Eloy Jimenez (White Sox); Scott Kingery (Phillies), Jon Singleton (Astros), Samuel Basallo (Orioles); Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell (Red Sox); and Brandon Lowe (Rays).

The flurry of lucrative long-term contracts for talented but inexperienced rookies reflects management’s concern over changes to the Basic Agreement between players and owners. After the current contract expires in December – probably preceded and accompanied by acrimonious negotiations – changes to free agency and service time are probable. Contracts signed now, however, would not be affected.

No matter how good a player is, however, long-term signings are gambles – especially for rookies. While players are giving up years of free agency, they are getting guaranteed dollars.

After signing an 11-year contract with Tampa Bay, Wander Franco was a rising young star when sidelined by legal troubles. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

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Not all such signings are wise investments. Wander Franco, signed to an 11-year, $182 million pact guaranteed through 2032, ran into legal problems that led to his suspension. Jimenez, Kingery, Lowe, and Robert Jr. were all traded when they failed to live up to their initial promise.

The Pirates anticipate no such problems with Griffin.

“We’re going to do a lot of great things with the players we have,” Griffin beamed after his signing became official. “I want to be part of it. I want to continue to be part of the building of winning playoff baseball.

“This is a great place for me and a great place for my family. I couldn’t be more proud.”

He needed only a week in Triple-A to merit a promotion to Pittsburgh.

“Since the day Konnor signed,” said general manager Ben Cherington, “he has met every challenge from a baseball perspective. He’s always put the team first, representing himself, his family, and the organization in the most first-class manner. He has earned our trust.”

He has also earned a place in the lineup, where he’s arguably the best teenaged shortstop since future Hall of Famer Robin Yount broke in with the 1974 Milwaukee Brewers.

Konnor Griffin will celebrate his 20th birthday on April 24.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com