The name attracting the most attention down in Florida during spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates is Konnor Griffin.

The consensus top prospect in baseball and 19-year-old is battling for a roster spot with the Pirates. He’s already launched three of home runs, and he’s been a little snakebitten in the batting department, dragging down his numbers.

During his time in Bradenton this spring, Griffin is trying to do something no one has done since Hall of Famer Adrian Beltré did in 1999: make the Opening Day roster as a teenager. If he starts on Opening Day, he would become:

• the first teenaged MLB player since Juan Soto in 2018
• youngest to play on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989
• the first teenager to make his MLB debut on Opening Day since Griffey in 1989

Manager Don Kelly made clear that Griffin would have to work for a spot, which would likely come as the shortstop were he to make the team.

Griffin, who will turn 20 on April 24th, rocketed his way through the minor leagues last year.

The ninth overall pick from 2024 began last season in Low-A Bradenton, where in 50 games he slashed .338/.396/.536 (.932 OPS) with nine home runs, 36 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.

He was then promoted to High-A Greensboro, where he slashed .325/.432/.510 (.942 OPS) with seven home runs, 36 RBI, and 33 stolen bases in 51 games. Then at the end of the year, he earned a promotion to Double-A Altoona, where in 21 games he slashed .337/.418/.542 (.961 OPS) and picked up five homers, 22 RBI, and six stolen bases.

Even though Griffin has never taken a rep at the Triple-A level, Pirates fans are clamoring for him to make the Opening Day lineup. The excitement surrounding him and the pure potential he boasts also has some fans urging the organization to sign him to a long-term extension as soon as possible.

If you’re looking for a possible comparable for what a Griffin deal could look like, Boston’s Roman Anthony is one to examine.

Last year, Anthony inked an eight-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox. It was a deal that worked for both sides, giving Boston cost certainty while handing Anthony a massive payday at such a young age. Anthony went on to slash .292/.396/.463 (.859 OPS) with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 71 games for Boston last year.

Given Griffin’s national hype and the organization’s considerably worse reputation, the Pirates will probably have to improve upon that pile of cash the Red Sox gave to Anthony.

Pittsburgh, if they are going the seven or eight year route, might have to offer somewhere between $150 to $160 million to Griffin for him to agree to sign long term. Those numbers are purely guesses, but assuming the negotiations surround figures like those, a long-term deal is really a no-brainer for both sides.

I know that expecting the Pirates to shell out this amount of money is unheard of, but this might be the organization’s only chance to actually secure his talents long term. If Griffin really is as special as every outlet thinks he will be, he’ll be out of the team’s price range before we know it.

Signing him now turns Griffin into a building block for the Pirates for years in the future. He gives them a superb bat at the heart of their lineup and a talent that could possibly help lure future free agents to Pittsburgh, something the Pirates have typically struggled with.

And the decision is just as easy as Griffin.

Look, nothing in sports is actually guaranteed. God forbid Griffin suffers some sort of injury in spring training (aside from the pitch taken off his foot), or at some point early in his playing days, and it forever alters the trajectory of his career.

How often does any teenager, no matter how gifted they are, have the chance to rake in over $150 million? It’s impossible to turn that down. That contract gives the newlywed financial security for the rest of his life and makes him by far the highest-paid extension the team has ever handed out.

There is an argument to be made that by signing now, Griffin is leaving money on the table. And if he continues on this trajectory he’s on, that’s probably going to be true.

But even if he is on a value deal in a few years, Griffin will have a chance to make it up. He will still be in his 20s when this is a contract expires, setting him up for a massive payday in the prime of his career.

It’s a safe bet now to make while he blossoms into the big league superstar we all think he is. And when that deal finally expires, he’ll have the chance to do it all over again.

If the Pirates are serious about approaching Griffin with an extension sometime soon, it’s a slam dunk decision for both sides.