Konnor Griffin makes Pirates history with $140 million extension

Konnor Griffin makes Pirates history with $140 million extension originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of fun young players, with Paul Skenes being the most obvious and famous one.

But Konnor Griffin is looking to join that company, and he's off to a solid start to his MLB career just a few games in. And it didn't take long for the Pirates to give him a big extension, one that made some history.

As Jon Heyman of The New York Post notes, Griffin's new $140 million extension is making some Pirates history as the largest deal the Pirates have ever handed out.

Konnor Griffin makes Pirates history

"Biggest deal in Pirates history goes to a teenager," Heyman posted. "$140M, 9 years for Konnor Griffin. Year of the Pirates?"

This massive new deal for Griffin is a record-setting one. Not only is this the biggest contract the Pirates have handed out in an extension, but it's also significantly more than the biggest free agent deal as well.

The previous record for the Pirates when it comes to any contract was the $106.75 million deal over eight years with Bryan Reynolds from back in 2023.

More: Three ways Pirates' Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young Award

And for free agent signings, Francisco Liriano, all the way back in 2015, set the record with a $39 million three-year deal.

This is a bold move from the Pirates, but it's also the right call. Instead of getting just six years of Griffin, they're not getting nine seasons.

Nine-years, $140 million isn't cheap, as it smashed the Pirates' previous record for the largest contract they've handed out. But the 19-year-old will now be under contract through 2034 on a $15.5 million average-per-year deal.

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