Breaking: Pirates Hand Largest Contract in Team History to Rookie Konnor Griffin

The Pittsburgh Pirates have continued their surprising spending splurge in 2026, this time locking up the top prospect in baseball to the biggest deal in franchise history.

The Pirates have officially signed teenage top prospect Konnor Griffin to a 9-year extension worth $140M with another $10M in performance based escalators per @WillSammon

This is the largest contract given out in Pittsburgh Pirates team history. pic.twitter.com/MIwqZsXH7i
— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) April 8, 2026

Konnor Griffin is a 19-year-old phenom who doesn't turn 20 until later this month, but he's already a very rich man. It's a nine-year contract worth $140 million for the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. There are incentives that could bring the deal to $150 million. They are based on Griffin's performance in MVP voting between 2026-2031, which can escalate from 2032-2034.

The deal also includes a $12 million signing bonus, of which $5 million will be paid out this season, and the rest will be split up among the following two years.

Needless to say, it's the biggest contract ever handed out by the Pirates.

Baseball's top prospect for 2026 absolutely obliterated the minor leagues in 2025, hitting .336 with a .950 OPS across three levels, from A-Ball to Double-A. He started this season at Triple-A, where, in just 21 plate appearances, he merely hit .438 with an 1.196 OPS.

Griffin's start with the Pirates after being called up last week has been slow, as he's gone 3-for-17 in five games, but we all saw those prodigious blasts he launched at the beginning of spring training, and everyone in Pittsburgh, and throughout baseball, is waiting for more. This 440-foot moon-shoot is Exhibit A:

Konnor Griffin AGAIN 2nd HR of the day against Boston pic.twitter.com/SbaiUy3HT9
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) February 24, 2026

The Pirates, after their offseason of trades and free agent spending, are off to a 7-4 start, just a game back of the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division. The Buccos are looking to make it back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Griffin will be able to hit free agency at the end of the contract when he's just 28.