MLB Report: Pirates Ready To Spend More Big Money

It's been quite the offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates. And it's getting better by the day.

Konnor Griffin is the unmistakable top prospect in all of baseball, and he's been showing why already this spring. And we're not even out of February yet. The shortstop Griffin is next one up in the Pittsburgh Pirates' pipeline, and his two-homer performance in Tuesday's Grapefruit League action had the Bucs' camp all abuzz.

Get used to this. Konnor Griffin is a superstar. pic.twitter.com/eZM2S3EM7f
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 24, 2026

"If you don't know the name yet, you will soon enough!" went the call from the Boston Red Sox broadcast booth in Ft. Myers, Florida. Noted baseball insider Jeff Passan called him a "superstar."

Griffin is already seeming like a lock to make the Pirates' Opening Day roster at the age of just 19. If he does, per ESPN Stats, he'd be the first teenager to make his MLB debut on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. for the Seattle Mariners in 1989.

Now the talk has already turned to handing him a life-changing contract. Hey, the Pirates have been spending money this past offseason like it's going out of style (relatively speaking, at least, for the small-market Bucos).

Per Noah Hiles in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, both sides are open to a long-term deal:

Griffin’s young age also offers a greater likelihood for him to be around for more than just the length of his rookie contract. Anything south of a 10-year extension would allow him to still reach free agency before his 30th birthday. Such a deal makes plenty of sense for both parties, and per conversations with numerous sources, both parties are indeed open toward making this happen.

Griffin was drafted with the ninth overall pick in the MLB draft in 2024 right out of high school. It seems like an absolute steal at this point. In his first professional year last season, the 6'4", 222-pounder batted .333 with a .415 on-base pct. in 563 plate appearances across three levels from A-Ball to AA. He launched 21 homers and stole... wait for it... 65 bases, while posting a .941 OPS.

Now he's pounding major league pitchers (inc. Ranger Suarez) in the Grapefruit League.

The Pirates are having one of their greatest offseasons in recent memory. They've gone out and traded for slugging second baseman Brandon Lowe and signed free agents Marcell Ozuna to DH, and the versatile Ryan O'Hearn.

They've already got the National League Cy Young winner at the top of their rotation in Paul Skenes, another lauded rookie prospect, Bubba Chandler on the staff, and now they add baseball's top prospect. Signing Griffin to a long-term extension would be icing on the cake.