Pirates, Konnor Griffin agree to the largest contract extension in franchise history

Noah Hiles, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — The Pirates have finalized a contract extension with Konnor Griffin that will make the 19-year-old shortstop the highest paid player in franchise history. The team announced that it had signed Griffin to a nine-year extension Wednesday morning.

The deal is worth $140 million of guaranteed money, a source confirmed to the Post-Gazette. That figure, along with the length of the contract was first reported by ESPN. The deal also includes $10 million in escalators and a $12 million signing bonus. Griffin will receive $5 million of that bonus this season, then $3.5 million in each of the next two seasons.

Griffin now owns the most lucrative contract in Pirates history, surpassing Bryan Reynolds’ eight-year, $106,750,000 extension that was signed in April 2023. The extension ensures Griffin, who is rated the game’s top prospect, will remain under club control until the end of the 2034 season.

Last season, rookie corner outfielder Roman Anthony, MLB’s top-rated prospect prior to Griffin, signed an eight-year, $130 million extension with the Boston Red Sox. Griffin’s deal exceeds that mark in guaranteed money, although Anthony’s deal could reportedly reach up to $230 million with performance escalators.

Sources told the Post-Gazette that extending Griffin has been a noted priority for the Pirates since the end of last season. Extension talks began to pick up momentum in March, throughout spring training. Griffin’s deal was inked within 21 days of the start of the 2026 regular season, which means it goes into effect now, rather than at the start of next year.

Griffin was promoted to the major leagues last Thursday. He debuted the following afternoon in the Pirates’ home opener, a win against the Baltimore Orioles. The early promotion ensured Griffin will be in position to receive a full year of major league service time in 2026, thus making the Pirates eligible to receive a Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) draft pick.

That pick, which normally comes just after the end of the first round, would be awarded should Griffin win Rookie of the Year this season or finish top 3 in MVP voting in any of the next three seasons. Teams can only earn one reward pick per player. The Pirates would have been ineligible to earn the PPI pick had Griffin’s extension been signed prior to his major league debut.

The Pirates selected Griffin ninth overall in the 2024 draft out of Jackson Prep School in Jackson, Miss. He was the top-rated prep player in his class, following a high school career that included four state titles and Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year honors his senior year. All eight players selected ahead of Griffin were college prospects.

Griffin was dominant his first professional season, slashing .333/.415/.527 while tallying 23 doubles, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases over 122 games. He was also stellar in the field, winning an MiLB Golden Glove Award. That impressive production allowed him to advance all the way to the Double-A level. It also made him the game’s consensus prospect by the end of his 2025 campaign, a title he retained heading into this season.

This spring, Griffin slashed .171/.261/.488, with four home runs, two walks and13 strikeouts over 46 plate appearances. He was reassigned to minor league camp in the final weekend of Grapefruit League play and played just five regular-season games with Triple-A Indianapolis. He slashed .438/.571/.625 over that five-game stretch.

Griffin became the first position player to debut in the majors as a teenager since Juan Soto in 2018 with the Washington Nationals. Similar to Soto, who signed a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets in December 2024, Griffin will be in position to reach free agency well before his 30th birthday.