Konnor Griffin and Pirates Close on Major Extension?

PITTSBURGH, PA — Konnor Griffin is the #1 prospect in baseball and has been the talk of Spring Training, but his future still remains very much unclear. At this time, no one can seem to answer the question about whether he will make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, or whether he will begin the season with the Pirates’ Triple A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians.

According to Ken Rosenthal, it appears right now that Griffin will begin the season at the Triple A ranks. “It seems the answer is ‘no.’ Now, he’s having an interesting Spring…he’s hitting not great, but he has four home runs,” Rosenthal said when asked if Griffin will be on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster. “He has 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. It’s always alarming for any young player when he’s not walking. But the Pirates have to ask themselves whether this is the best shortstop they can put on the field right now or not, and does he make the team the most competitive or not? The other element here is if they sign Konnor Griffin to an extension, they will probably do it after Opening day so that they remain eligible for the prospect promotion incentive program.”

While it’s unclear where Griffin will start the season, he is clearly the future of the Pirates and perhaps the entire league, and Pittsburgh wants to do everything in their power to keep him a part of the organization long-term. According to Jon Heyman, the Pirates have offered the biggest deal ever for no MLB service time already. Remember, Griffin has only played Double A, and has not even taken an at-bat in Triple A yet.

Heyman went on to say that the discussed extension is huge. “The talk has been around a deal for as long as 9 years and north of $100 million.” Again, this is for a player who has never taken an official at-bat above the Double A level, but the Pirates are clearly ready to bet on the huge potential and talent that is Konnor Griffin.