Konnor Griffin and 4 more prospects set to cash in next amid MLB's extension frenzy

It's a brave new world in Major League Baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers shocked everyone when they handed outfield prospect Jackson Chourio a then-record eight-year, $82 million contract before he'd even appeared in a single big-league game. But Chourio's deal is now a "then-record" because it just got blown out of the water — not once, but twice.

First, the Brewers handed shortstop Cooper Pratt an eight-year, $50.75 extension, despite the fact that Pratt isn't even the team's most highly regarded middle-infield prospect (or, heck, even one of their two most highly regarded, depending on how high you are on Luis Peña). Then, on Tuesday morning, the Seattle Mariners did them one better, inking top prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million deal that could climb as high as $130 million depending on how he performs once he actually reaches the Show.

This has long been the direction the sport has been trending, as teams sacrifice some money upfront in exchange for more years of team control over players they expect to significantly outperform their deals once they hit their primes and blossom MLB stars. But both Pratt and Emerson — very good but not uber-elite prospect — signing in rapid succession has kicked it up a notch. Which has us wondering: Which prospects might be next? And what does it mean for Konnor Griffin, baseball's next big thing?

What a Konnor Griffin extension could look like after Colt Emerson deal

As good as Emerson is, Griffin is in another class entirely. The consensus top prospect in baseball, he blew through not one, not two but three levels of the Minors last season, all at the ripe old age of 19. (He won't turn 20 until late April.) He's built like a linebacker at 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, but his plus-plus speed allows him to be a menace on the bases (65 steals in 2025) and a defensive asset either at shortstop or center field. He's the total package, a physical freak whose hit tool — the one remaining question mark in his game — has improved by leaps and bounds since he was drafted No. 9 overall back in 2024.

He has the potential to be a truly generational player, Emerson's deal is the absolute floor of what he should expect if he does decide to sign a long-term contract before debuting with Pittsburgh later this year. Our own Zach Rotman took a crack at this exercise earlier this spring and arrived at a fully guaranteed 10-year, $130 million contract that also offered him the ability to opt out after year eight.

But even that might be light at this point: If Emerson is guaranteed almost $12 million per year over his first eight years, why wouldn't Griffin ask for something closer to $15 million? That's a huge number, but well, he's in position to bet on himself, and pushing off a potentially historic free agency should come at a huge cost for the Pirates. I think Rotman has the years right — giving him both maximum security and also the ability to hit free agency still smack in his prime — but the. number could climb up to $140-150 million.

Which top MLB prospects could be next to sign a contract extension?

SS Leo De Vries, Athletics

With Kevin McGonigle currently setting the league on fire over his first few games and Konnor Griffin presumably not too far behind in making his MLB debut, there's a good chance De Vries will assume the mantle of baseball's best prospect in a few months' time. And with good reason: Teenagers with this sort of plate discipline and pop simply don't come around very often, and the fact that he also projects to stick at shortstop in the Majors is the cherry on top.

De Vries made it all the way to Double-A before his age-19 season. No prospect is a sure thing, but if you were going to bet on someone, it would be him — especially if, like the A's, you have a ballpark quagmire in Las Vegas burning a hole in your pocket. The Athletics need cost certainty as much as any franchise in baseball, and if they can convince De Vries to take anything like the Emerson extension, they should jump at the chance. Earning as many years of team control as possible is a risk worth taking.

INF Sebastian Walcott, Texas Rangers

Walcott was on a De Vries-like path until Tommy John surgery waylaid his 2026 season before it even began. Still, he held his own at the plate in Double-A at just 19 years old last season, posting a career-best walk rate while continuing to hit the ball way harder than darn near anybody else his age. At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, he more than looks the part of a future 30-homer cornerstone at third base.

Which is a huge boon for a Rangers organization that needs as much position-player talent as it can find right now. Wyatt Langford is blossoming into a star, but beyond that, the picture is pretty grim: Corey Seager is great when healthy, but he's 31 now, and other top prospect like Evan Carter and Josh Jung haven't developed as Texas hoped. Making this big a bet on Walcott isn't without risk, certainly, and the Rangers are facing a bit of a financial crunch themselves. Still, this team has been slowly bled dry of homegrown talent, and it should want to hang on to Walcott for as long as possible.

OF Max Clark, Detroit Tigers

Sure, the chains and the TikToks take up a lot of oxygen, but beneath all that is the fact that Clark appears to have a very bright future in the Majors. Controversially taken No. 3 overall in the 2023 draft, the young outfielder has improved his offensive profile by leaps and bounds as a pro, slashing an impressive .271/.403/.432 across High-A and Double-A last season at just 20 years old. We already knew he was a dynamite athlete on the bases and in center field; if he can continue to access more of his power by pulling and lifting the ball, we're talking about a potential 15-homer, 30-steal star in his prime.

Of course, that's a big if, but Clark's full profile gives him a high floor even if the offense never fully comes together. His defense is tailor-made for Comerica Park, especially with the Parker Meadows experiment looking like a bust. Plus, if Detroit is never going back to Mike Ilitch's big-budget ways, then locking down this exciting young core — headlined by Clark and McGonigle — should be priority No. 1. At the very least, it'll help avoid another Tarik Skubal situation for a few more years.

INF Aidan Miller, Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have systematically shipped out much of their homegrown talent in recent years — welcome to the end years of the Dave Dombrowski experience, friends — but thankfully Miller, their top prospect, remains, just in time to step into a starting role with both Alec Bohm (this winter) and Bryson Stott (next winter) nearing free agency. Miller's been slowed by a balky back this spring, but when healthy he's one of the most ascendant players in the Minors, tearing up Triple-A down the stretch last season after making a swing adjustment.

He stole 59 bases in 2025, and while that overstates how fast he really is, there's legitimate 25-25 potential here in his prime. As their current core ages out of its prime, the Phillies need to start planning for what's next. Making sure Miller isn't going anywhere any time soon would be an excellent first step in that direction.