The Milwaukee Brewers made one of the most surprising, out-of-the-blue moves in recent memory. They are signing shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract extension that includes two club options.
What makes it so stunning is that Pratt hasn’t debuted in the majors and only made his Triple-A debut a few days ago. There was zero evidence that a deal was being worked on. Add in the fact that Pratt is represented by Scott Boras, who *very* rarely does these types of deals, and it had many folks around the league stunned.
It’s the second time that the Brewers have done an extension before a player has debuted in the majors, with Jackson Chourio’s $82 million contract being the other. That contract has aged incredibly well and he looks like a superstar. Pratt, meanwhile, is more of a projection; his defense is very good, but his offense needs work. He doesn’t hit for power (eight home runs in 2025) and hit .238/.343/.348 last season. But his plate discipline is above-average and he posts good walk and strikeout rates.
So what does this mean for the Brewers’ infield picture now and long term?
Well, it doesn’t seem that Pratt is immediately going to be called up to the majors. Brewers manager Pat Murphy, when asked about Pratt, said that he hopes he’s still managing by the time that Pratt makes it to the majors. So it’s unlikely that he factors into the major-league picture this season, barring a breakout offensively.
Joey Ortiz was the Brewers’ everyday shortstop last season. He struggled, hitting .230/.276/.317 with only seven home runs and 45 RBI. He’s gotten off to a great start this season, hitting .455/.500/.455 with a .955 OPS and three RBI. He isn’t a free agent until 2030, so barring a trade, Ortiz will be a factor in Milwaukee long term.
Brice Turang is a franchise cornerstone at second base and can also play some shortstop. There are other prospects such as Jett Williams, Jesus Made and Luis Pena, who are all top-100 prospects. Made is the Brewers’ top prospect and is the real deal, with team officials and rival executives tantalized by his potential.Â
It’s a good problem to have for Milwaukee and knowing the franchise's creativity, perhaps some could emerge as trade bait to improve a different aspect of the roster. They could also keep them all and deploy them in different situations, trying to maximize different matchups. It would hardly be a surprise to see the team engage in talks on an extension with Turang, who is coming off a season in which he hit .288/.359/.435 with 18 home runs and 81 RBI.
But Pratt is clearly a player that the Brewers like and want to build around long term. It’s rare they hand out money of that caliber, and it’s a gamble on both the player and their player development group. It’s also the latest example of extensions for players with no major-league service, with another (Konnor Griffin with the Pirates) also possible at some point this year, and it would hardly be surprising to see that trend continue.
It’s a risk, for sure. But the Brewers, and their player development group, are often right. And it’s allowed them to stay competitive despite their below league-average payroll.