Why Cooper Pratt, Scott Boras Signed Shocking Contract With Brewers

This offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers opted to sign top infielder prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year contract extension worth around $50 million. It's a rare contract extension for a player who hasn't debuted in the big leagues yet.

This idea is becoming more popular with the top prospects around the game, but they're typically given out after their debut. Pratt is still a few weeks or months from his debut.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently discussed the contract and explained why it's different than many pre-debut contract extensions of the past.

"First, generally speaking, position players who receive these types of contracts are coming off strong minor-league seasons at the plate," Bowden wrote. "This is not the case with Pratt, who hit just .236 in Double A with a .690 OPS and only eight home runs last season for Biloxi (albeit playing against older competition in his age-20 season).

Cooper Pratt's deal with the Brewers is a rare one

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Cooper Pratt fields a ground ball during spring training workouts Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Pratt is also considered the fourth-best infield prospect in their organization behind Made, Peña and Williams. At this point, Pratt doesn’t have a clear path to the major leagues with Milwaukee, let alone a starting role. In addition, his contract starts this year, but based on his development, he might not be major-league ready until 2027 or 2028 and likely won’t get a full year of service time when he does make it."

It's rare for a team to give out a deal like this. It's even rarer for a team to give out a deal like this to a player who is a glove-first prospect instead of a bat-first prospect. Roman Anthony and Konnor Griffin are two of the top prospects in the game who signed big contract extensions early in their careers. Both are bat-first prospects.

But Pratt was given this deal after a poor year at the plate. He slashed .238/.343/.348 with an OPS below .700, eight home runs, and 22 doubles.

But this deal is rare for another reason: Pratt's agent Scott Boras.

Scott Boras rarely agrees to contracts before free agency

Boras is notorious for bringing his clients to free agency because that's where the most money is. Once players get to free agency, teams like the New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers can bid on them, which drives the price tag past what the Brewers can afford.

But Boras can find contract extensions for his clients if that's what they want. For Pratt, staying with the Brewers is what he wanted.

"The second reason is the most important: It’s what Pratt wanted, and the Boras Corp. did their job by carrying out the wishes of their client," Bowden wrote.

Only time will tell if this deal will pay off. The Brewers will need Pratt to hit a bit better than he has the last two years if it's going to be a good deal.