Konnor Griffin Sends Message to Pirates After Contract Extension
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Konnor Griffin locked in their partnership for nearly a decade with a nine-year, $140 million extension, further cementing the 19-year-old shortstop as the face of the franchise next to Paul Skenes.
During his press conference after making the deal official, Griffin thanked the Pirates and his family for their role in the entire process while also sharing his excitement for the future and to be a member of the organization for the foreseeable future.
"Thank you for all being here today. To the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Bob, Ben – thank you all for believing in me. Y’all took a chance on me two years ago and I’ve felt nothing but support and love through this whole process. I’m super excited to be here for nine years. This is where we’re going to call home, me and my beautiful wife. Thank you all for being here for me – mom, dad, Kaden, Mr. Reid, thank y’all for always being my biggest supporters. It’s an unbelievable day for me. I’m just pumped to be a Pirate and be a part of this wonderful clubhouse. A lot of great talent back there, coaches and staff – thank y’all for being here to support me. Y’all made this transition to the big leagues super easy. I’m pumped to go compete. The goal is to win. The goal is to win a World Series. I think we’ve got a clubhouse to go do that. I’m pumped to be a part of that and can’t wait to go do that and continue to get better as a player and continue to grow as a person, as well, in this clubhouse. They’re not here today, but I want to give a big shoutout to Joey Devine and Casey Close from my agency for working super hard on this. I’m super excited. Thank you again for this opportunity. Couldn’t be more proud to be a Pittsburgh Pirate."
Pirates and Griffin Make History
Griffin's new contract makes him the highest-paid player in Pirates history, surpassing the eight-year, $106.75 million extension Bryan Reynolds inked with the club during the 2023 season.
If Griffin and Pittsburgh had officially come to terms before he made his big league debut on April 3 against the Baltimore Orioles, he also would've had signed the largest deal in MLB history for a player who had never appeared in a major league game.
That record is held by Seattle Mariners prospect Colt Emerson, as the two sides hammered out a $95 million extension last week.
Griffin is The Most Important Piece of the Pirates' Future
While Skenes is far more of an established player, having won the National League Cy Young Award in his first full big league campaign last year, Griffin now becomes the most important piece of the puzzle for the PIrates.
For one, he's going to play everyday and contribute in every facet of the game. Additionally, Pittsburgh can feel comfortable knowing that he's not going anywhere until the mid-2030s.
Skenes, on the other hand, has not signed an extension with the Pirates and thus is set to become a free agent after the 2029 season. That's not to say he won't eventually commit long-term to Pittsburgh and vice versa, but such an outcome has yet to come to fruition.
Griffin has already found himself in rarefied air, and there's every reason to believe he'll become a mega star in due time.
Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.