On Wednesday, an agreement between the Pittsburgh Pirates and star rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin was reported. The Bucs will pay the top prospect in baseball $140 million over the next nine years in a deal that should help change organizational culture.
What does this have to do with the Cleveland Guardians, you may ask? Well, they also have a talented prospect already taking MLB by storm: Chase DeLauter.
DeLauter isn’t a teenager like Griffin, but he is also a rookie and he boasts a 198 wRC+ with five home runs so far. Would the Guardians be interested in signing a similar extension with DeLauter? Does it make sense for the player? Anthony Lima and Ken Carman analyzed the potential scenario at 92.3 The Fan.
“For somebody like DeLauter, if he can stay healthy, how many home runs are we thinking he’s going to hit per year based on the swing we’ve seen, based on all the talent we’ve always known about and people have gushed over? I think that—that would be a steal,” Lima said when presented with the hypothetical scenario of the Guardians signing DeLauter to a nine-year, $140 million deal.
"Based on the swing we've seen, the talent we've known about, that would be a steal."
⚾@KenCarman & @SportsBoyTony say they would sign Chase DeLauter to a similar extension that the Pirates gave Konnor Griffin https://t.co/zBqhrhqhz0 pic.twitter.com/hUor0J6Wzn
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 8, 2026
Young players like Griffin, with little to no MLB experience, tend to take these deals. It’s a risk for both sides: the team might handcuff itself to a significant long-term commitment for a player that might flop, and the young prospect could potentially leave millions on the table if he explodes and hits his ceiling.
However, it could reap huge benefits for both sides, too: the player gets financial security for life even if he doesn’t pan out, and the team signs a future star to a low average annual value deal in comparison to the potential payout if he develops as expected.
Now, a nine-year deal for Griffin doesn’t mean exactly the same for DeLauter. The former will enter free agency at 28, while the Guardians outfielder would do it at 33. And teams tend to view these ages a lot differently in the open market. However, regardless of the exact amount, an extension makes sense for an injury-prone player like DeLauter.
Carman questions that while these injuries could make the Guardians think twice, it makes sense to entertain this kind of deal with DeLauter.
“If he (DeLauter) were to do that: one, I would think that that’s a huge, huge bump for people buying his jersey, people wanting to see him, people being excited about him being the future of the franchise. Two, I think it would be a big bump for the Dolans. Three, I think it would be a big bump for David Blitzer, who is eventually going to take over this baseball team within the next couple of years. And if they do, this is a serious investment in your baseball team.”
Lima explained that while there’s risk in entertaining a deal with a similar framework to Griffin’s for DeLauter, the fear of potential injuries is precisely one of the elements that might persuade the player to commit his future to Cleveland.
In any case, the Guardians may take a wait-and-see approach with this specific situation, first making sure that DeLauter’s body can withstand the rigors of a 162-game season. Then again, if he proves he can, the price will go up.
NEXT: Guardians Offer Update On Gabriel Arias' Return Timeline
