Konnor Griffin Contract Is a No-Brainer for the Pirates

Griffin will be in Pittsburgh for a long time.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and shortstop Konnor Griffin have agreed to a massive nine-year contract. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Konnor Griffin Era begins for the Pirates today, and it’s set to last a long time.

Pittsburgh called Griffin up on Thursday, adding the consensus top prospect in baseball to their roster. As if that wasn’t enough, a few hours later, news broke that the two sides are finalizing a nine-year, $140 million contract extension. The deal is the largest ever given to a player with no MLB service time. ESPN’s Buster Olney was first with the news.

Griffin ranked No. 1 on our list of the top 50 MLB prospects heading into the 2026 MLB season, and it was only a matter of time before he hit the big leagues.

The 19-year-old shortstop blazed through the minor leagues last season, which was his first in professional baseball. He opened the season at A ball and traversed three levels, finishing with 21 games at Double A. Along the way, he hit .333 with a .415 on-base percentage, while slugging .527. He had 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, scored 117 runs and stole 65 bases while sporting a wRC+ of 165. After a solid showing in big league camp this spring, he spent five games at Triple A Indianapolis, where he went 7-for-16 with a 1.196 OPS. That was all anyone needed to see of him at that level.

It’s likely Pittsburgh held back on bringing him up until a contract was done. They were protecting their leverage, which makes sense. Now that he’s locked up, there’s no reason for Griffin to remain in the minors.

The name that keeps coming to my mind when watching Griffin is a young Mike Trout. He’s big, athletic and makes everything on a baseball diamond look easy. Yes, they play different positions, but there’s something in the way he carries himself that leads me there. Bobby Witt Jr. is the closest comparison at his position.

The new deal will give both sides security, as Griffin will make an average of $15.6 million over the length of the deal, and has security through his arbitration years and his first two potential years of free agency. He’ll be 28 and likely still in his prime when he’ll be eligible for free agency now. Yes, he’s giving up some potential short-term earning power, but it also protects him if his career goes sideways.

For the Pirates, it locks up a player most feel is a can’t-miss star. The franchise selected Griffin with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 MLB draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Miss. He signed for $6.53 million but didn’t make his professional debut until 2025. Pittsburgh has already invested heavily in Griffin, so this new deal isn’t a surprise. It will keep him with the franchise through the 2035 season.

Deals for players with little or no service time have a mixed history. The Mariners gave top prospect Colt Emerson an eight-year, $95 million contract earlier in the week, and Griffin’s deal blows that one out of the water.

The Pirates have secured Griffin, while also boasting reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and fellow top prospect Bubba Chandler. It’s an outstanding young core that could be with the franchise a long time.

Konnor Griffin scouting report

Here’s the scouting report for Griffin from our top prospects list.

Griffin had the best all-around tools in the 2024 draft as a prep shortstop out of Jackson, Miss. The fact that he reclassified from ’25 to ’24 may have hurt his stock a bit, but it didn’t matter to the Pirates, who took him with the No. 9 pick and handed him a massive $6.53 million bonus. That move has paid off.

The 19-year-old, who could play short or center, is the consensus top prospect in baseball with five outstanding tools. He drips with star power and showed that repeatedly at three levels during his first professional season in 2025. In 122 minor league games, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527, with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. In his final stop at Double A Altoona, he played 21 games and hit .337with a .418 on-base percentage while slugging .524 and producing a ridiculous wRC+ of 175.

Griffin is an outstanding athlete at 6’3” and 221 pounds, who possesses tons of power, elite speed, and an arm that plays all over the diamond. He shouldn’t be this good this young, but he is. A true unicorn prospect. It won’t be long before Pittsburgh has him locked into the lineup.

Now he’ll be in the majors and locked in with the Pirates for a long time.

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