Signing - Baseball Wiretap

The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Chase Burns have agreed to a seven-year, $105 million contract, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. MLB Network's Jon Morosi first reported the deal.

The contract contains no options or deferrals and stands as the largest ever given to a pitcher with less than four years of major-league service time, according to the source.

Burns, 23, earned All-Star honors this season in his second year in the majors. He is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA across 18 starts in 2026 after making 13 appearances as a rookie last season.

The extension buys out several years of team control, as Burns was not previously scheduled to reach free agency until 2032. Cincinnati selected him second overall in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest.

Burns previously set a signing bonus record after the draft, earning $9.25 million, which broke the mark set by Paul Skenes out of LSU with the Pittsburgh Pirates the year before.

Roch Cholowsky  has agreed to a record signing bonus with the Chicago White Sox after they made him the No. 1 overall pick in last week's draft. The shortstop out of UCLA landed a $10.35 million bonus, according to MLB.com, roughly $1 million below the pick's slot value but $1.1 million higher than the previous record.

The prior mark of $9.25 million was shared by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns and Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Condon, the second and third picks in the 2024 draft. Cholowsky became Chicago's first No. 1 selection since 1977, when the franchise took Hall of Fame outfielder Harold Baines.

Cholowsky threw a ceremonial first pitch to Baines on Sunday afternoon at Rate Field. He had visited the organization in early June, meeting coaches, players, front office staff and owner Jerry Reinsdorf during a trip that included Braden Montgomery's walk-off home run in his major-league debut.

The 21-year-old posted a .320/.452/.636 slash line with 21 home runs in 60 games during his junior season at UCLA. The Athletic's draft analyst Keith Law, who ranked Cholowsky as his top overall prospect, described him as a polished shortstop with power and strong instincts on both sides of the ball.

JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension. The deal secures one of the largest guarantees in franchise history for the National League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Wetherholt, the Cardinals' first-round pick in 2024, quickly advanced through the farm system and earned an Opening Day roster spot this season. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter ranks eighth among all position players in FanGraphs wins above replacement, splitting time mainly at second base while also playing shortstop.

Wetherholt and the Cardinals discussed an extension during spring training but could not finalize terms at the time. Fellow rookie shortstops Kevin McGonigle, Konnor Griffin, Colt Emerson and Cooper Pratt all signed extensions in the interim, establishing a framework Wetherholt later followed.

Unlike those four players, Wetherholt attended college, giving his contract a different structure. The deal contains no club options, runs from 2027 through 2034, and includes performance bonuses that could push its total value to $132 million. It buys out three years of free agency, with Wetherholt reaching the open market just after turning 32.

The extension marks another step in St. Louis' willingness to increase spending after several seasons of payroll reduction. Wetherholt is batting .267 with a .362 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage this season, pairing strong defense at second base with elite baserunning.

The contract's length and value closely mirror the seven-year, $100 million deal Albert Pujols signed with the Cardinals in 2004. Wetherholt slipped to St. Louis at seventh overall in the 2024 draft after Cleveland considered him with the No. 1 pick, then signed for $6.9 million following three seasons at West Virginia.

Wetherholt becomes the first player under contract for the Cardinals in 2027. Before this extension, the team's only committed 2027 payroll was $13 million owed to Boston to cover the contracts of Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras.

The Houston Astros signed outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and promoted catcher Collin Price to the major league roster Thursday.

Price will take the place of backup catcher César Salazar, who was designated for assignment Thursday.

Wade, who was released by the White Sox on Monday, has been in Triple-A all season. His last appearance in the majors came last season when he played 30 games for the Angels. A seven-year MLB veteran, Wade has also played for the Twins and Giants.

The Reds signed Brandon Phillips to a ceremonial one-day contract Saturday to ensure the four-time Gold Glove Award winner would retire with the team.

"It was a dream come true," Phillips said. "For me to officially retire, this was the only place I wanted to do it. For this to really happen, this is where I wanted to be. This is my home."

Kevin McGonigle and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to an eight-year, $150 million contract extension. The deal will begin in 2027 and put McGonigle under team control until 2034. The Tigers are buying out three of McGonigle's free agency seasons.

McGonigle was the 37th overall pick in 2023 and is the No. 2 overall prospect in the MLB behind Konnor Griffin, who recently signed a nine-year, $140 million extension.

McGonigle may already be the Tigers best positional player as he's hitting .311 with a .417 on-base percentage 17 games into his MLB career.

McGonigle will earn the following salaries:
2027: $1 million
2028: $7 million
2029: $16 million
2030: $21 million
2031: $22 million
2032-34: $23 million

Six months of deliberate negotiations between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Excel Sports Management produced a landmark nine-year, $140 million agreement for Konnor Griffin, with both sides ultimately finding common ground on a deal that protects the earning potential of MLB's top prospect while giving the franchise its cornerstone player.

The talks began in November at the general managers' meetings in Las Vegas, just 16 months after Pittsburgh selected Griffin ninth overall in the 2024 draft. The Pirates followed up at the winter meetings in December before resuming discussions in spring training.

Contract length proved the central sticking point as Pittsburgh sought 10 years of club control while Excel preferred eight. Nine years became the compromise, with no club options one firm condition from Griffin's camp. A 10-year deal with options would have delayed free agency until Griffin's age-30 season, a non-starter for Excel.

The Pirates might have reached $130 million on an eight-year framework, but not $140 million and the additional year unlocked the higher guarantee Griffin's representatives prioritized above all else.

Griffin's assignment to Triple-A on March 21 fueled outside speculation that Pittsburgh was applying leverage in the talks. People from both sides dismissed that reading. Even members of Griffin's camp acknowledged the demotion was the right baseball decision after he batted .171 in spring training. He responded by hitting .438 with a 1.196 OPS in 21 Triple-A plate appearances, forcing a promotion ahead of the home opener.

Timing also carried contractual significance. The agreement was not finalized until 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, preserving Griffin's Prospect Promotion Incentive eligibility, a potential bonus tied to Rookie of the Year and MVP voting through 2028 that a pre-debut signing would have eliminated.

The deal surpasses outfielder Bryan Reynolds' $106.75 million contract as the largest guarantee in Pirates history.

Konnor Griffin, MLB's top-ranked prospect, has signed a nine-year, $140 million extension with the Pittsburgh Pirates less than a week after his major-league debut, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. The deal, which carries no deferrals, opt-outs or options, can reach $150 million through performance incentives.

The contract is the largest in Pirates history, surpassing Bryan Reynolds' previous club-record $106.75 million extension. Pittsburgh has historically used early extensions with homegrown players, including Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Ke'Bryan Hayes, as a core competitive strategy.

"All I'm going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time," Griffin said last week. "This is a special place, and I'm thankful to be here."

Griffin, who turns 20 on April 24, became the youngest Pirates player to record a hit in his debut since Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski in 1956. Through five games, he is batting 3-for-17, though his exceptional speed and polished defense at shortstop have drawn immediate praise.

The timing of the extension carries strategic significance. By waiting until after Griffin's debut to formalize the agreement, Pittsburgh preserved eligibility for MLB's Prospect Promotion Incentive. The program awards a draft pick to clubs whose early-promoted prospects finish in the top three of NL MVP voting or win NL Rookie of the Year.

Griffin's deal follows a growing trend of pre-prime extensions for elite prospects. The Seattle Mariners recently signed shortstop Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million deal before his MLB debut, while the Milwaukee Brewers committed eight years and $51 million to minor-league shortstop Cooper Pratt.

The Pirates have reached the postseason just three times since 1992. Griffin represents the franchise's most significant homegrown investment in decades.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are engaged in active contract negotiations with shortstop Konnor Griffin, ESPN's top-ranked prospect for 2026, sources told ESPN. Talks have been ongoing since early spring training, with the two sides apart on overall value.

Pittsburgh's proposals are structured closer to the eight-year, $111 million deal Corbin Carroll signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. Griffin's representatives are seeking terms nearer to the eight-year, $130 million agreement Roman Anthony reached with the Boston Red Sox last August, sources told ESPN.

Griffin, who turns 20 later this month, was the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound shortstop batted .333 with a .941 OPS across the minor leagues last season and hit four home runs in 16 spring training games. Pittsburgh assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has collected six hits in his first 13 at-bats.

The Pirates enter this period with genuine competitive aspirations. Staff ace Paul Skenes anchors the rotation, and Pittsburgh bolstered its offense this offseason by trading for Brandon Lowe and signing free agents Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna.

A long-term commitment to Griffin would likely resonate with a fan base that has grown impatient with the franchise's modest payrolls and sustained struggles over the past decade.

The negotiations unfold amid a wave of pre-service-time signings leaguewide. The Seattle Mariners recently signed prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million deal, while the Milwaukee Brewers signed Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract this week.

Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Colt Emerson has agreed to an eight-year, $95 million extension, the largest contract in MLB history for a player with zero major league service time, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday. The deal can reach a maximum value of $130 million and includes a ninth-year team option and a full no-trade clause.

Emerson, 20, remains at Triple-A Tacoma, where he is hitting .357 with a home run through his first three games. He is ESPN's sixth-ranked prospect heading into 2026.

The left-handed hitter was Seattle's 22nd overall selection in the 2023 draft out of an Ohio high school. Last season he slashed .285/.383/.458 with 16 home runs and 78 RBIs across three minor league levels.

Scouts project Emerson as a 20-home run threat with an above-average on-base profile and reliable shortstop defense. A strong spring training, .268/.340/.488 with two home runs, accelerated confidence in his defensive capabilities at the position.

Emerson is widely expected to replace J.P. Crawford as Seattle's everyday shortstop in 2027, when Crawford enters free agency.

The extension adds Emerson to a growing core of players under long-term agreements. Julio Rodriguez is signed through 2034, Cal Raleigh through 2030, and Josh Naylor through 2030.

The agreement arrives one day after the Milwaukee Brewers reportedly locked up shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million deal.