Opening Day often serves as a soft deadline of sorts for star players looking for a contract extension. Many of these same players and the teams they represent would prefer not to discuss such a momentous deal during the regular season. Or at least that's what they like to say. There are always exceptions, and the Baltimore Orioles would prefer Gunnar Henderson made one for them.
The same can be said of Pittsburgh Pirates rising star Konnor Griffin. While Griffin will start the season in Triple-A, a contract extension would help quell the concerns of the Pittsburgh front office, and avoid service-time manipulation altogether. The MLB season may very well be upon us, but the chill of winter remains.
The Orioles tried to extend Gunnar Henderson last offseason
- The Orioles offered Gunnar Henderson an extension in 2025
- It's unclear if the two sides revisited his contract this offseason
The Baltimore Orioles tried to extend Henderson heading into the 2025, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. However, Henderson did not accept that deal. If there's one thing we know about Gunnar, it's his competitive spirit and will to win – that was on full display for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The Orioles, for all they've done to build a winner from within, haven't achieved that goal just yet.
Mike Elias and the Orioles front office to a step in the right direction this winter, signing the likes of Pete Alonso to a long-term deal and trading for Shane Baz, previously of the Tampa Bay Rays. By the time he reaches free agency, Henderson could demand a deal north of $500 million, especially if he keeps developing into a perennial All-Star. Just look at the contracts handed to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto the last two winters.
Braves place Spencer Strider on the injured list
- The Braves have placed Spencer Strider on the injured list to start the season.
- Atlanta's rotation has been hampered by injury, meaning a free-agent signing or trade could be on the horizon.
At some point, the Braves are going to be forced into a move. Atlanta's already lost Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach for long stretches, if not the entire season. Reynaldo Lopez is an injury waiting to happen, and Chris Sale has an extensive history of bad luck. Didier Fuentes, Bryce Elder and spare parts can only get the Braves so far.
Strider suffered an oblique strain during spring training, and as a result will miss at least the first few weeks of the regular season. The Braves rotation looks nothing like the group projected to be among the league's best just a few weeks ago.
Braves rotation |
|---|
Chris Sale |
Reynaldo Lopez |
Grant Holmes |
Bryce Elder |
Joey Wentz |
You can add Martin Perez and Fuentes to that mix, but the Braves young, unproven bottom of the rotation will only take them so far. That's why signing a free agent, such as Lucas Giolito, would make the most sense for Alex Anthopoulos.
Blue Jays reward Ross Atkins and John Schneider
- Blue Jays sign Ross Atkins and John Schneider to extensions
- Atkins extension is for five years, while Schneider's runs for two additional seasons
Just a couple of years ago, Ross Atkins and John Schneider were squarely on the hot seat. Atkins, in particular, was under fire for not extending Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sooner, and his repeated defenses of Schneider, a manager many Blue Jays fans thought was flawed.
That goes to show how much we know. Since last spring, the Jays signed Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million extension, avoiding MLB free agency altogether. Had Vlad Jr. reached the open market, there's a high likelihood he would've left, as he routinely flirted with the Red Sox and Mets. That's also just the nature of this game.
Look no futher than Bichette, who reached free agency this winter and signed in Queens. The Blue Jays were interested, sure, but couldn't match New York's desperation after losing Alonso.
Why Konnor Griffin hasn't signed an extension with the Pirates
- Konnor Griffin was optioned to Triple-A to start the season.
- While Griffin struggled in spring training, part of the reason he won't be on the Pirates Opening Day roster has to do with money, and a lack of an extension.
If you asked anyone in Pittsburgh at the beginning of March if Konnor Griffin was going to make the Pirates Opening Day roster, you would've gotten one answer: of course! Yet, here we are with Opening Day right around the corner and Griffin will begin his campaign in Triple-A Indianapolis. I, personally, don't have a huge problem with this as long as it's based on performance. Griffin has spent just a handful of games above Single-A and struggled in spring training, particularly at the plate against high-velocity fastballs. He'll face a lot of those in Pittsburgh.
As Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic, the Pirates and Griffin were nowhere close to a contract extension during spring training. Finding the right number will not be easy, as the Pirates would prefer to keep an extension just north of $100 million, while Griffin's camp will want something close to what Roman Anthony received – an eight-year, $130 million deal with escalators that can take him to $230 million.
Good luck getting Bob Nutting to sign onto that. However, an extension is in both sides' best interest. For the Pirates, odds are Griffin would be a long-term bargain, especially if he's the player most prognosticators believe him to be. For Griffin, it sheds the burden of service-time manipulation and arbitration.
But as of this writing, Griffin's representative and the Pirates still have some work to do. And that played at least a small role into why he's beginning his season in Indianapolis.