Pirates reportedly working on Konnor Griffin extension: What could long-term deal look like for top prospect? Griffin was sent back to Triple-A to start the 2026 MLB season
By Matt Snyder Apr 1, 2026 at 2:13 pm ET • 2 min read 
Getty Images The Pittsburgh Pirates and top prospect Konnor Griffin are "deep into negotiations" on a possible long-term contract extension, according to ESPN.
Griffin, 19, is widely considered the best prospect -- or one of the best prospects -- in all of baseball for the 2026 season. He made a splash early in spring training with his power, but ended up with Triple-A Indianapolis after hitting .171/.261/.488 in MLB spring training games. In four games thus far with Indy, Griffin is 6 for 13 (.462) with three doubles and two stolen bases.
Heading into the season, CBS Sports ranked Griffin as the third-best prospect in baseball behind Kevin McGonigle (who is now with the big-league Tigers and will graduate from prospect status soon) and Jesús Made of the Brewers. Here's what R.J. Anderson had to say about Griffin:
The rap on Griffin during his amateur days was that he had every tool but the hit tool, the most important of the bunch. It was encouraging, then, to see him ease concerns about his swing-and-miss during his first pro season. He connected on more than 75% of his attempts while showing off the power (he cleared the 114 mph threshold) and speed (he stole 65 bases) combination that gave him a high ceiling. Griffin even kept his strikeout rate under 24% during a 21-game stint in Double-A, suggesting that he wasn't just feasting on younger pitchers or those with less raw talent. Knowing when to adjust priors is one of the trickiest parts of evaluating players. Given everything about Griffin's year, it would be silly to ignore how much higher his chances of reaching his star ceiling are now than they were 365 days ago.
What would an extension look like for Griffin? Well, ESPN reports that the Pirates are looking to offer something like what Corbin Carroll took from Arizona several years ago at eight years and $111 million ahead of his first full season. Griffin's agency, meanwhile, is reportedly looking at Roman Anthony's eight-year, $130 million Red Sox deal, made barely two months after he debuted. A reasonable compromise seems like eight years and $120 million or so, right?
If Griffin and the Pirates come to an agreement while he's still in Triple-A, such a deal would become part of a wave of deals for pre-debut prospects here in the last seven years. Mariners prospect Colt Emerson just joined the list this week, setting a record for MLB players with zero service time.
SignedYearsDollarsOption yearsColt Emerson, MarinersMar. 20268$95M1 club optionJackson Chourio, BrewersDec. 20238$82M2 club optionsCooper Pratt, BrewersMar. 20268$50.75M2 club optionsLuis Robert, White SoxJan. 20206$50M2 club optionsEloy Jiménez, White SoxMarch 20196$43M2 club optionsColt Keith, TigersJan. 20246$28.6M3 club optionsScott Kingery, PhilliesMarch 20186$24M3 club optionsEvan White, MarinersNov. 20196$24M3 club optionsJonathan Singleton, AstrosJune 20245$10M3 club options Join the Conversation comments
