A few weeks ago, the Seattle Mariners signed a 20-year-old prospect to a $95 million deal, before he ever played in the majors. Last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates gave Konnor Griffin, a 19-year-old shortstop, a nine-year, $140 million deal, less than a week into his big league career.
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Yesterday, the Detroit Tigers signed rookie 21-year-old shortstop Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year, $150 million deal. At the time, he’d played in just 17 major league games.
Why are teams signing unproven prospects to these megadeals? We dive in below. Throughout the baseball season, we’ll have more coverage here and, as always, on NBC News.
Spending Spree
This offseason, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting was eager to get updates on negotiations over one player’s contract in particular. He was so invested, he said, that he “pestered” the front office “to find out when it was going to get finished.”
Nutting wanted to know about the team’s negotiations with Griffin, a teenager who, at the time, had never taken a major league at-bat.
Why are teams willing to give that much money to unproven players? It starts with how the business of baseball is structured. After a prospect typically spends time in the minors and a team calls him up to the majors, it starts a clock.
From that point, the team controls the player’s rights for at least six years before he reaches free agency. During that period, he gets a series of one-year contracts, essentially, without any long-term security. A team can release him at any time, without any future money at stake.
When teams approach prospects offering long-term deals, they typically seek contract lengths that would “buy out” years of free agency, tying the players to the teams beyond those six years of control. In return, the players get eight-to-nine-figure guarantees.
“The teams recognize that there is a huge savings in signing these players,” MLB agent Scott Boras told NBC News. “They have control over these players for six or seven more years. What would prompt them to have to pay them early? Obviously, it’s because they’re going to gain a substantial economic advantage.”
Boras used his client, Juan Soto, as an example. When Soto was 20 years old, Boras recalled, the team offered him a contract worth around $120 million, over nine or 10 years. On Boras’ advice, Soto turned the deal down. When Soto became a free agent at 26 years old, the New York Mets gave him a $765 million contract, the largest in professional sports history.
For more, read the full story published yesterday on the NBC News website.
NBA Play-In Tournament
Steph Curry put on a vintage performance last night, pouring in 35 points, shooting 7-of-12 from deep and spurring a fourth-quarter comeback to save the Golden State Warriors’ season, as they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA play-in. Curry’s new sidekick, the oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis, also added 20 points.
The Clippers’ loss could have widespread ramifications. The team’s first-round pick this year belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA champs — a remnant from the 2019 Paul George trade. Now that the Clippers have lost in the play-in, their pick will go into the draft lottery, and the Thunder will have a not-insignificant chance at a top-four pick.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Portland Trail Blazers secured the No. 7 seed in their respective conferences. On Friday, the Warriors will play the Phoenix Suns for the No. 8 seed in the West, and the Orlando Magic will play the Charlotte Hornets for the No. 8 seed in the East.
USWNT Update
The U.S. women’s national team’s winning streak ended Tuesday during an international friendly against Japan in Seattle.
More than 36,000 people filled the stands at Lumen Field on a rainy evening, breaking the attendance record for a women’s sporting event in Seattle. It was the second in a three-match series for the USWNT against Japan this week as coach Emma Hayes begins to tighten her roster considerations for next year’s Women’s World Cup.
Though the team beat Japan last weekend, Hayes chose to switch up the starting line to feature the younger generation of players. Hayes has said that she anticipates Japan to be one of the biggest threats to the USWNT’s fight for a fifth World Cup title next summer.
Japanese forward Maika Hamano found the back of the net in the 27th minute in what ultimately became a 1-0 loss for the Americans. Even the substitutions of Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Heaps, Sophia Wilson, Tierna Davidson and Trinity Rodman in the second half didn’t make a difference.
Hayes is likely to tweak the starting line again this week as she tries to offer the younger players more experience in her bid to deepen the USWNT’s talent pool. The USWNT plays its last friendly against Japan tomorrow night in Denver.
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What We’re Reading
The Portland Trail Blazers’ season started with their coach’s arrest. It’s ending in the NBA playoffs.
Backed by Jake Paul’s promotion company, boxer Alycia Baumgardner is fighting for the women’s super featherweight belt Friday at Madison Square Garden. She’s also fighting for gender equality in the ring.
The LIV Golf CEO dismissed the rumors that the league is about to fold.
LaMelo Ball was fined, but not suspended, for the flagrant foul on Bam Adebayo.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran will “for sure” be at the World Cup.
Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller joins NBC Sports as a WNBA studio analyst.
ESPN published a deep dive examining Ja Morant’s future with the Memphis Grizzlies, or lack thereof.
The NBA ruled that Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham will be eligible for this season’s awards, after both appealed the 65-game eligibility rule. Doncic missed a few games for the birth of his child, and Cunningham missed time with a collapsed lung.
What We’re Watching
The NBA play-in tournament is off today, so we’re getting our sports fix from the NHL tonight, on the final day of the regular season. The Colorado Avalanche, the top team in the league, get a final tuneup against the Seattle Kraken, and the Utah Mammoth, a playoff wild-card team, take on the St. Louis Blues.
All times are Eastern:
- 7:30 p.m.: St. Louis Blues vs. Utah Mammoth, on ESPN
- 10 p.m.: Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche, on ESPN
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.