Konnor Griffin, Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt have all signed deals in the last several weeks
By Mike Axisa Apr 8, 2026 at 11:43 am ET • 6 min read 
Getty Images Moreso than ever before, young players are getting paid very early in their careers. The latest: Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who signed a nine-year deal worth $140 million on Tuesday, less than one full week into his MLB career. That deal came a few days after the Mariners signed shortstop Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million extension and the Brewers signed shortstop Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million extension. Emerson and Pratt have yet to make their MLB debuts.
"I can just play. Play the game how it's supposed to be played without thinking about it as much, and also be able to take care of my family for generations," Pratt said after signing his deal. "... I'm still going to want to go 5 for 5 every day and do all this stuff. It's just that thought in the back of your head disappears. You still want to be the best that you can be, but there is no more pressure. There's pressure, but it's different. It's fun pressure."
These early career extensions certainly aren't new. It has been almost two decades since Evan Longoria signed his landmark six-year, $17.5 million extension with the Rays six days into his big-league career. These deals have been happening for some time now, though they've gained in popularity in recent years. Since 2022, 11 players with less than a full year of MLB service time have signed a contract of at least five years. Only nine such deals were signed from 2011-21.
Konnor Griffin extension: Pirates lock up top prospect on record nine-year deal just days after MLB debut Mike Axisa
It's easy to understand why these deals happen, right? Go read what Pratt said after signing his extension again. The player locks in financial security before he even has to prove himself at the highest level. That's awfully hard to pass up. The team gets cost certainty over the player's six team control years (i.e. no arbitration headaches), plus they usually gain extra control by buying out free-agent years with guaranteed contract years and/or club options.
Increasingly, extensions get done throughout the season, though they tend to be concentrated in spring training and April. There is a chance Griffin's will be the last significant extension we see until the start of the offseason. Regardless, here are a few candidates to be the next player to sign a long-term deal in the early days of his career.
Players with less than one year in MLB
In addition to Griffin, this group also includes Roman Anthony (eight years, $130 million), Samuel Basallo (eight years, $67 million), and Kristian Campbell (eight years, $60 million). They all signed long-term deals before reaching a full year of service time within the last 12 months. Go back a little further and Corbin Carroll (eight years, $111 million) and Julio Rodríguez (12 years, $210 million) are in this group too. Here are three players yet to hit one year of service time who could sign an extension before long.
IF Kevin McGonigle, Tigers: Our No. 1 prospect entering 2026, McGonigle made Detroit's Opening Day roster and has had a terrific start to his career, hitting .302/.388/.465 with nearly as many walks (six) as strikeouts (seven) through 11 games. He looks every bit the part of a franchise cornerstone. My guess is the Tigers would give McGonigle the Emerson contract in a heartbeat, but good luck getting him to agree to that now. The benchmark now is Griffin's $140 million extension. McGonigle owes Griffin and the Pirates a thank you for that.
RHP Cam Schlittler, Yankees: Schlittler allowed his first runs of the season Tuesday as he continues his meteoric rise from seventh-round draft pick to frontline starter. Since his debut last July, he has a 2.71 ERA with strong under-the-hood numbers (3.14 FIP and 3.62 xERA) in 17 regular-season starts. That doesn't include his dominant outing in last year's Wild Card Series (12 strikeouts in eight shutout innings). Pitcher contracts are rare this early in a player's career given the injury risk, and the Yankees don't lock up young players often, so this might be a long shot. The Yankees do love Schlittler though, so perhaps something gets done.
2B JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals: Like McGonigle, Wetherholt won a spot on the Opening Day roster and has more than lived up to the hype that comes with being one of the game's best prospects. He's reached base in 10 of his 11 games so far and already has a walk-off home run to his credit. His .380 on-base percentage is top five among qualified rookies. Wetherholt is a shortstop playing second base in deference to Gold Glover Masyn Winn, though he's a strong defender himself. At this point, there's no reason for Wetherholt and his camp to ask for less than Griffin's $140 million extension.
Others: OF Chase DeLauter, Guardians; C Carter Jensen, Royals; RHP Nolan McLean, Mets; RHP Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays; 2B Cole Young, Mariners
Prospects yet to make MLB debut
Pratt and Emerson signed the eighth and ninth pre-debut extensions in baseball history. The previous seven were a mixed bag, with some home runs (Jackson Chourio's eight-year, $82 million deal with the Brewers) and some busts (Scott Kingery's six-year, $24 million deal with the Phillies). There is risk with these pre-debut extensions -- you just never know how a player will perform at the highest level until he gets there, even the very best prospects -- but teams will do them for the right player and at the right price. Here are three players who could sign long-term before appearing in an MLB game.
2B Travis Bazzana, Guardians: The No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft, Bazzana has been beaten to the big leagues by several of his first-round brethren (Griffin, Wetherholt, Yesavage, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, etc.), though he remains a very good prospect and a potential foundational player for the Guardians. Cleveland began the practice of buying out arbitration and free-agent years with long-term extensions in the 1990s. It stands to reason they'll explore such a deal with Bazzana, perhaps even before his MLB debut. He is off to a sluggish start in Triple-A though (.231/.333/.385 in nine games).
SS Leo De Vries, Athletics: The case can be made De Vries is the best prospect still in the minors now that Griffin and McGonigle (and Wetherholt) have been called up. The prize of the Mason Miller trade looks like a budding superstar. He reached Double-A as an 18 year old last summer and has hit .272/.385/.505 in 25 career games at the level. The A's have aggressively locked up their core position players over the last year or so ($281.5 million committed to Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson). Why wouldn't they look into locking up De Vries now, before his MLB debut and ahead of their move to Las Vegas?
SS Jesús Made, Brewers: Milwaukee has already given out two pre-debut extensions (Chourio and Pratt). We shouldn't rule out another. Made is in that "best prospect still in the minors" conversation with De Vries, and he's off to a .353/.476/.529 start as an 18 year old in Double-A this season. The Brewers are once again one of the best teams in baseball, though the left side of the infield is lacking. A pre-debut extension could expedite Made's arrival the way it did Chourio's, and also keep him tied to the Brewers long-term as the franchise seeks its first World Series title.
Others: OF Max Clark, Tigers; OF Walker Jenkins, Twins; IF Aidan Miller, Phillies; OF Braden Montgomery, White Sox; LHP Noah Schultz, White Sox
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