PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are optimistic about reaching a long-term contract with rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, but general manager Ben Cherington cautioned they’re not at the finish line.
Cherington said Wednesday it typically takes a series of items to come together for both sides to strike a deal. While some appear to be in alignment, Cherington didn’t indicate a pact was imminent.
“I think about past experience with things like this, when they happen, it’s usually some combination of the player being open and interested, the team having a high level of belief and conviction in the player, and then having organizational alignment around that,” Cherington said. “I do think some of those ingredients are in place with Konnor, and so that would give me a level of hope, potentially.”
The 19-year-old Griffin, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft, made his big league debut last Friday against Baltimore. He laced an RBI-double off the wall in center field in his first at-bat but is still searching for his second hit in the majors entering Tuesday night’s game against San Diego.
The Pirates are very bullish on the 6-foot-3 Griffin, who was among the final cuts at the end of spring training before quickly being promoted a week into the season. He responded by hitting .438 during a brief stint at Triple-A Indianapolis and has looked right at home in the field.
He’s also handled the attention that’s part of the gig when you are anointed as the top prospect in the majors with ease.
“Just what he brings energy-wise, attitude-wise, and as a teammate, that’s going to be there every day,” Cherington said. “Whenever he was going to get to the Major Leagues, there was going to be some offensive transition. We know that. Ultimately, it just felt like he was going to make the team better. That was how it landed.”
There have been a series of aggressive moves by organizations to lock up talented young infielders lately. Seattle signed 20-year-old Colt Emerson to an eight-year contract last week before Emerson even reached the majors. The Milwaukee Brewers did the same with 21-year-old shortstop Cooper Pratt last week.
Cherington has made it a point since taking over in late 2019 to identify players considered cornerstones and keeping them around for the long haul, a list that includes two-time All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds and right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller.
Griffin, who has a $780,000 salary this season while he’s in the majors and a $127,100 salary while in the minors, has said he wants to be a Pirate “for a long time,” among the reasons Pittsburgh had no trouble calling him up less than 650 days after he was drafted. Rocketing through the club’s farm system helped.
Cherington knows there is a transition period for any player when they reach the majors. The way Griffin has responded to minor setbacks along the way has the Pirates believing it is only a matter of time before it all comes together.
“Part of the calculus of trying to call a player up is the conviction that they’re equipped to handle that, whatever comes with that,” Cherington said. “We have a very high belief with Konnor to do that. He’s going to respond that whatever challenges come his way and overcome them.”
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