The former record was the eight-year, $82 million contract the Brewers gave outfielder Jackson Chourio in December 2023 when he was coming off playing in Double-A. He has since hit .272 with a .780 OPS, 42 homers, 43 stolen bases, and 157 RBIs over two seasons for Brewers teams that made the postseason both years.
Chourio, who opened this season on the injured list with a fractured left hand, made $2.25 million as a rookie and $4.25 million last season and is the youngest player with multiple 20-20 seasons. The Brewers are thrilled with his contract to this point.
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On Friday, the Brewers signed 21-year-old shortstop Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million extension with two team options worth $15 million each. Pratt made his Triple-A debut this season and has hit a modest .261 with a .730 OPS over four years in the minors.
Baseball America has Pratt as No. 50 on its Top 100 prospects list. He has shown good plate discipline, above-average speed, and is a plus defender. It’s also notable that Pratt is a client of Scott Boras, an agent who generally eschews long-term extensions for young players.
For a small-market team such as Milwaukee, it’s a big bet. But teams trust their in-house projections and value the cost certainty. It’s how the Brewers can compete with teams such as the Dodgers and Cubs.
Seattle is a larger market. But if Emerson is merely an average hitter and a good up-the-middle defender, $6.3 million a season for eight years is a bargain and allows the Mariners to retain stars such as catcher Cal Raleigh and center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
Emerson had played only nine games in Triple-A at the time of the deal and isn’t expected to make his major league debut until later this season.
“You have to be a good player to garner this type of interest, this type of contract,” Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “But you also have to be the type of person at 20-years-old you can say over the course of the next nine years, ‘We trust you to go do this.’ And if you spent any time around Colt, you know that he checks every one of those boxes.”
It sounds a lot like what Craig Breslow said about Campbell a year ago at this time. But after posting a .935 OPS through 28 games, Campbell hit .157 with a .462 OPS in his next 38 games and was demoted to Triple-A. He has yet to return and it’s also unclear where he fits defensively.
The Sox would never admit publicly that signing Campbell could prove to be a mistake. But it was a bad sign that the 23-year-old wasn’t in the running for a roster spot in spring training.
Campbell’s contract includes bonuses based on where he finishes in voting for Most Valuable Player. That’s a not a check the Sox will be writing any time soon.
The Sox were a little more cautious with Roman Anthony, waiting two months after his debut before signing him to a nine-year, $130.5 million extension with a $30 million team option for 2034.
Konnor Griffin started at shortstop and hit an RBI double in his first career at-bat for the Pirates on Friday.Justin K. Aller/Getty
Shortstop Konnor Griffin, who turns 20 this month, was called up by the Pirates on Friday and started the home opener against the Orioles. Griffin was a sensation in spring training but ultimately hit .171 with a .261 on-base percentage and was sent to Triple-A, where he was 7 of 16 with 3 doubles, 2 stolen bases, and 5 walks in his first five games.
When Griffin made his debut in Pittsburgh, he was the first teenaged position player since 19-year-old Juan Soto for the Nationals in 2018 and the youngest position player to appear in the first week of the season since 19-year-old Andruw Jones in 1997.
“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” Griffin told reporters. “And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys. This team is loaded. I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”
The next step is expected to be the announcement that Griffin has agreed to a long-term extension. His deal would likely surpass Emerson’s.
Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, who crushed the Red Sox in the first week of the season, is an extension candidate. So is Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter, a 24-year-old who homered four times in his first four regular-season games after being on the postseason roster last fall and appearing in two games.
RETURN GAME
Not much to show for Devers deal
The Red Sox had little choice but to trade Rafael Devers once he refused team (and Globe) owner John Henry’s request to move to first base for the sake of the team. They did well to dump all of Devers’s remaining salary on the Giants, but the rest of that deal is looking like a bust.
The Sox received lefthander Kyle Harrison and righthander Jordan Hicks along with two minor leaguers, righthander Jose Bello and outfielder James Tibbs III.
Bello is the only player still in the organization and isn’t considered much of a prospect. Harrison appeared in three games for the Sox then was traded to Milwaukee in the deal that returned infielder Caleb Durbin. Hicks was terrible out of the bullpen in 21 games, allowing 17 earned runs over 18⅔ innings before being dumped on the White Sox in February.
Tibbs played only 30 games for Double-A Portland before he was traded to the Dodgers for righthander Dustin May on July 21. May was 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA in six games for the Sox, then left as a free agent and signed with the Cardinals.
Tibbs had a .900 OPS in 36 Double-A games for the Dodgers last year and started this season 12 of 22 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 3 walks, and 9 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Here’s a thought: Stop making trades with the Dodgers.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ Manager Alex Cora doesn’t believe it was a factor in the team’s slow start, but the World Baseball Classic may have been a detriment to the club. The Sox had 13 players off their 40-man roster — more than any other team — in the tournament and spent much of spring training with members of the team scattered around the world.
“We just played bad baseball,” Cora said. “I don’t think bad baseball has to do with the WBC.”
Still, the Sox weren’t able to play their regular lineup together until the final week of spring training and it looked like it when the season started.
▪ The only Red Sox players who have World Series rings are closer Aroldis Chapman and first baseman Willson Contreras. They played together with the 2016 Cubs and Chapman won a second ring with the 2023 Rangers.
Both play with a bit of attitude, too. Chapman stares down hitters after striking them out while Contreras features slow home run trots and an array of bat flips.
Contreras even found a way to make an automated ball-strike challenge look good during Friday’s game against the Padres. After taking a called third strike in the second inning facing Michael King, Contreras tapped his helmet to challenge. Before the challenge was played on the scoreboard, he walked to first base confident he was in the right and was proven correct.
“He brings an attitude,” Cora said. “He brings an attitude that I think will gel well with what we expect here from players.”
Contreras, 33, trusts his experience as he chases a second ring.
“It’s a game and I’m trying to have fun out there,” he said. “I’m not trying to embarrass anybody else. I enjoy the game and being with my teammates and I want to win.”
▪ Nick Punto, who played for the Red Sox in 2012, is happy to be back in baseball. He retired after the 2014 season and was a full-time dad for 10 years before he joined the Padres staff last season. He’s now the infield coach.
“I love it,” Punto said. “It’s great being around the game again. I’m having a great time.”
The Padres also have former Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki (2020-22) on their staff as catching coach. Plawecki was the originator of the laundry cart home run celebration in 2020.
It will not be a surprise if Punto or Plawecki becomes a manager.
Trevor Story was one of many Red Sox teammates to be given a ride in the home run laundry cart in the dugout by Kevin Plawecki.Jim Davis/Globe Staff
▪ The Red Sox need a new plan with Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. Maybe rolling the ball to the plate will help. Counting the 2021 ALCS, Alvarez is 48 of 115 (.417) in 32 career games against the Sox with 23 runs, 24 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs, and 16 walks.
Alvarez is a three-time All-Star with a career .967 OPS. But a 1.305 OPS in 32 games against one team is outrageous.
▪ At 21, Roman Anthony was the fourth-youngest player on an Opening Day roster in the majors. The youngest was 20-year-old Braves righthander Didier Fuentes.
▪ The “BuildSubmarines.com” ads from last season were missing from the Fenway Park grass on Opening Day, a refreshing change. Maybe all the subs were built.
▪ Triple-A Worcester drew 20 walks in a 19-3 victory at St. Paul on Tuesday. All nine players in the lineup drew at least one walk, with Mickey Gasper having four and Kristian Campbell and Jason Delay three each. The Saints used seven pitchers who threw an incredible 258 pitches, only 126 for strikes (48.8 percent). The 20 walks were a franchise record.
ETC.
Special souvenir for Francona
Terry Francona’s office at Great American Ball Park is at least four times larger than the tiny office he once had at Fenway Park. It’s loaded with memorabilia including a photo of Francona and Pete Rose when they both played for the 1984 Montreal Expos.
There is a conspicuous lack of Red Sox keepsakes with one notable exception: Francona has a large Green Monster scoreboard plate with “2000” on it. It was a gift from the Sox in recognition of Francona winning his 2,000th career game last season.
The Reds had an on-field ceremony for the milestone last season and asked the Red Sox if they wanted to join Francona’s other former teams in helping to mark the occasion. With the approval of ownership, the plate was made and shipped to Cincinnati.
“I really love it,” said Francona. “It’s a cool thing to have.”
Francona and the Red Sox had a rancorous separation in 2011, something that remains an issue. But he still has friends in the organization. He is planning to have the plate hung up in his office, which will take some work because of its weight.
Francona recorded 744 of his victories with the Sox. He’s one of 13 managers with at least 2,000. No active manager has even half as many.
Umpire CB Bucknor did not get off to a good start. After getting six calls at the plate overturned during the Red Sox-Reds game on March 28, Bucknor badly blew a call during the Rays-Brewers game Tuesday. Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers reached on an infield single in the sixth inning only to have Bucknor call him out, saying he missed the base. The Brewers challenged the call and the replay showed Bauers stepped on top of the bag while Bucknor was looking the other way. Both managers, the Brewers’ Pat Murphy and the Rays’ Kevin Cash, were laughing. It was already one of the worst calls of the season … The Dodgers bucked tradition and added a blue jersey to their rotation of road uniforms. It has Los Angeles across the front in script with red numbers in gray trim and a Dodgers patch on the left sleeve. There is no interlocking “LA” logo … Counting the managers, the Padres and Red Sox have 31 people on their coaching staffs this weekend. The 1986 Red Sox, who were honored Friday, had four coaches: Bill Fischer (pitching), Walt Hriniak (hitting and first base), Rene Lachemann (third base), and Joe Morgan (bullpen) … Did you know that automated ball-strike system challenges are not allowed when a position player is pitching? Yes, Shohei Ohtani is considered a pitcher … Max Scherzer struck out four in his first start of the season for the Blue Jays. That gave him 3,493 strikeouts in his career, seven shy of becoming the 11th pitcher in history with 3,500. He needs 17 to pass Walter Johnson for 10th place and 42 to move past Gaylord Perry into ninth … The Orioles beat the Rangers, 8-3, on Wednesday at Camden Yards. The game ended when Albert Suárez struck out Evan Carter on a pitch that was initially called a ball by umpire Manny Gonzalez. Catcher Samuel Basallo challenged the call and it was overturned by ABS. “So I thought, ‘Why not use it?’” Basallo said via an interpreter. “Better to use it and see what happens.” Jayson Stark of The Athletic dubbed it a tap-off victory … The Yankees had Jack Hughes and Aerin Frankel throw out first pitches at their home opener Friday to celebrate the United States men’s and women’s hockey teams winning Olympic gold medals. Frankel, who played at Northeastern, is the Boston Fleet goalie. She is from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., about 25 miles from Yankee Stadium, and grew up a Yankees fan. Frankel’s nickname among Fleet fans is the Green Monster … The always entertaining Boston Braves Historical Association newsletter reports that the Paddock Building at 101 Tremont St. is being renovated into a residence hall for Suffolk University. The building is where Braves owner James E. Gaffney had an office and announced in 1914 that he would build Braves Field. The ballpark hosted the Braves from 1915-52 at the site of what is now Nickerson Field at Boston University. Baseball history in Boston is a lot more than Fenway Park … June 6 is Jimmy Fund Day at Fenway Park. Supporters can get up to 20 pitches at the plate and play 30 minutes in the field while spending time in the dugouts and the visiting clubhouse. Packages start at $750. Go to JimmyFundDay.org or call (617) 632-4215 … Happy birthday to Blaine Neal, who turns 48 on Monday. The righthanded reliever appeared in 113 major league games from 2001-05, including eight for the 2005 Red Sox. Neal was acquired from the Padres during spring training for outfielder Adam Hyzdu, made the Opening Day roster, and gave up two runs against the Yankees in a 9-2 loss. He was claimed off waivers by the Rockies that May and played pro ball through 2010. He now lives in New Jersey.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.