Overview
- A growing wave of seven-to-nine-year deals now targets players as young as 19, with recent headliners including the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin at $140 million, the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle at $150 million, and the Mariners’ Colt Emerson at $95 million.
- Under MLB rules, clubs control a player for about six years after his call-up, so early extensions trade that year-to-year setup for long guarantees that also lock in seasons that would have been free-agent years.
- Agent Scott Boras told NBC News that teams gain a substantial economic edge with these pacts, citing long-term savings as the reason to pay early.
- Other top prospects with little or no service time have signed similar guarantees, including Cooper Pratt with the Brewers, Samuel Basallo with the Orioles, and Kristian Campbell with the Red Sox.
- Reports describe team-driven motives, with Pirates owner Bob Nutting pressing to finish Griffin’s deal, while an A’s blog offers unconfirmed speculation that Oakland’s earlier signings relate to a planned Las Vegas move.