Pirates Already Considering Konnor Griffin Extension
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have the top prospect in all of baseball in Konnor Griffin, who they hope will lead the franchise in the near future.
Griffin holds the top spot as the best prospect in baseball from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, ESPN and The Athletic, which he earned last July and now has again as he goes into the 2026 season.
The 19-year old excelled in 2025 and showed that he could be the Pirates shortstop going forward and their next star in their lineup.
Griffin hasn't even featured at Triple-A yet, but discussions about the Pirates looking to keep him around with a new contract.
Pirates Considered Contract Extension for Griffin
Dan Zangrilli spoke on 93.7 The Fan about the Pirates offseason, their moves and what they should do going forward.
Zangrilli discussed Griffin and said that the Pirates were considering doing a contract extension with him this offseason.
This would've reportedly coincided with them signing free agent Kyle Schwarber, who they gave the highest AAV of any contract, four years and $125 million ($31.25 million AAV), but he ended up re-signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. Excel Sports Management both represent Schwarber and Griffin, each having different agents from the same company, Casey Close for Schwarber and Joey Devine for Griffin.
"i heard from people outside the Pirates organization that when the Pirates and the Schwarber smoke was real, if I'm not mistaken and this is what this particular person in the industry told me they were trying to get a two-for-one done with Schwarber and Griffin, I believe the same agent," Zangrilli said.
Zangrilli didn't know how serious those talks were, but does believe the Pirates could sign Griffin and do so for a long-term extension.
"So if those talks, I don't know how in depth they are, whether they're preliminary or they're hot and heavy and they tabled it, but I think the consensus is they can get something done with Griffin because he's so young that you could do a seven, eight, 10-year deal and still get a bite at the apple," Zangrilli said. "So those deals are very much at play here."
Griffin did come to Pittsburgh this offseason in late November, going to a Penguins game, so there could've been extension talks then.
Why it Makes Sense for the Pirates to Sign Griffin to an Extension
Griffin hasn't made his MLB debut yet, nor even featured with Indianapolis, but the Pirates have reportedly considered adding him to their Opening Day roster as their starting shortstop.
His market value would be at the lowest it is right now and if he does make it to the 26-man roster and plays well, it will only get higher and higher.
MLB teams get six years of control with their players before they hit free agency and can then choose who they want to play for.
This includes three years at pre-arbitration, where they make the MLB minimum, $780,000 in 2026, or a little more than that. They then have three years of arbitration, where the team and player put up salary figures and can agree to that year's salary or go to arbitration, where they argue before a panel, who either sides with the player or the team.
If Griffin makes his MLB debut this season on Opening Day, or wins a top award, his pre-arbitration goes from 2026-28 and then arbitration years would go from 2029-31.
There is also the issue of an impending lockout, with the collective bargaining agreement ending on Dec. 1, where there isn't necessarily a chance that there is a 2027 MLB season.
Players will still earn a year of service for 2027, so if Griffin earns his first full year of service in 2026, he would get another one in 2027 and then just one-year of pre-arbitration in 2028 before his three arbitration years.
The Pirates signing Griffin to an extension works for both parties as Griffin gets paid earlier on instead of waiting and the Pirates keep Griffin for longer than team control and a few years cheaper than if they re-signed him in free agency or also if his arbitration numbers are quite high, which they could do if he becomes the star they think he'll be.
Would the Pirates Actually Sign Griffin to an Extension?
Most teams don't normally sign players that haven't made their MLB debut, but it has happened before in recent years.
Outfielder Jackson Chourio signed an eight-year, $82 million extension with the Milwaukee Brewers on Dec. 4, 2023.
Chourio had a solid start, finishing third in 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award voting, with Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes winning the award.
The one prior to that was the Chicago White Sox signing outfielder Luis Robert Jr. to a six-year, $50 million contract in 2020.
There have also been four other times this has happened, but for lesser money that both Chourio and Robert signed without making their MLB debut.
Name | Team | Extension | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
Jon Singelton | Houston Astros | 5 Years, $10 million | 2014 |
Scott Kingery | Philadelphia Phillies | 6 Years, $24 million | 2018 |
Eloy Jiménez | Chicago White Sox | 6 Years, $43 million | 2019 |
Evan White | Seattle Mariners | 6 Years, $24 million | 2019 |
Luis Robert Jr. | Chicago White Sox | 6 Years, $50 million | 2020 |
Jackson Chourio | Milwaukee Brewers | 8 Years, $82 milllion | 2023 |
The Pirates would likely have to pay more than what Chourio got, with Griffin having the title of best prospect in baseball.
Still, they would likely sign him for much less right now than if he does make his MLB debut in 2026 and has a great season, like winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.