{"id":608643,"date":"2026-04-16T19:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/608643\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T19:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:38:15","slug":"from-the-sports-desk-the-140-million-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/608643\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Sports Desk: The $140 million man"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>, less than a week into his big league career.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019d played in just 17 major league games.<\/p>\n

Why are teams signing unproven prospects to these megadeals? We dive in below. Throughout the baseball season, we\u2019ll have more coverage here and, as always, on NBC News<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Spending Spree<\/p>\n

This offseason, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting was eager to get updates on negotiations over one player\u2019s contract in particular. He was so invested, he said, that he \u201cpestered\u201d the front office \u201cto find out when it was going to get finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nutting wanted to know about the team\u2019s negotiations with Griffin, a teenager who, at the time, had never taken a major league at-bat.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

From that point, the team controls the player\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

When teams approach prospects offering long-term deals, they typically seek contract lengths that would \u201cbuy out\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe teams recognize that there is a huge savings in signing these players,\u201d MLB agent Scott Boras told NBC News<\/a>. \u201cThey have control over these players for six or seven more years. What would prompt them to have to pay them early? Obviously, it\u2019s because they\u2019re going to gain a substantial economic advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BaltimoreJuan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Nationals Park on July 21, 2020 in Washington, DC.Scott Taetsch \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

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\u2019 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<\/a>, the largest in professional sports history.<\/p>\n

For more, read the full story<\/a> published yesterday on the NBC News website.<\/p>\n

NBA Play-In Tournament\"StephenStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates during the game against the LA Clippers during the SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 15, 2026, in Los Angeles,Adam Pantozzi \/ NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Steph Curry put on a vintage performance last night<\/a>, pouring in 35 points, shooting 7-of-12 from deep and spurring a fourth-quarter comeback to save the Golden State Warriors\u2019 season, as they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA play-in. Curry\u2019s new sidekick, the oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis, also added 20 points.<\/p>\n

The Clippers\u2019 loss could have widespread ramifications. The team\u2019s first-round pick this year belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA champs \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

USWNT Update\"UnitedJaedyn Shaw of the U.S. dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against Japan at Lumen Field on April 14, 2026 in Seattle,Jane Gershovich \/ ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The U.S. women\u2019s national team\u2019s winning streak ended Tuesday during an international friendly against Japan in Seattle.<\/p>\n

More than 36,000 people filled the stands at Lumen Field on a rainy evening, breaking the attendance record for a women\u2019s 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\u2019s Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s fight for a fifth World Cup title next summer.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t make a difference.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s talent pool. The USWNT plays its last friendly against Japan tomorrow night in Denver.<\/p>\n

Newsletter Feedback<\/p>\n

The Sports Desk newsletter has been back for a few weeks now and we want to hear from you, gentle reader. How\u2019re we doing? What do you like about the newsletter? What can we do better? Send your comments to SportsDesk@nbcuni.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What We’re Reading<\/p>\n

The Portland Trail Blazers\u2019 season started with their coach\u2019s arrest<\/a>. It\u2019s ending in the NBA playoffs.<\/p>\n

Backed by Jake Paul\u2019s promotion company, boxer Alycia Baumgardner is fighting for the women\u2019s super featherweight belt<\/a> Friday at Madison Square Garden. She\u2019s also fighting for gender equality in the ring.<\/p>\n

The LIV Golf CEO dismissed the rumors<\/a> that the league is about to fold.<\/p>\n

LaMelo Ball was fined<\/a>, but not suspended, for the flagrant foul on Bam Adebayo.<\/p>\n

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran will \u201cfor sure\u201d<\/a> be at the World Cup.<\/p>\n

Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller joins NBC Sports<\/a> as a WNBA studio analyst.<\/p>\n

ESPN published a deep dive examining Ja Morant\u2019s future with the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, or lack thereof.<\/p>\n

The NBA ruled that Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham will be eligible<\/a> for this season\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

What We’re Watching<\/p>\n

The NBA play-in tournament is off today, so we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

All times are Eastern:<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m.: St. Louis Blues vs. Utah Mammoth, on ESPN10 p.m.: Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche, on ESPN<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for now! We\u2019ll be back tomorrow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A few weeks ago, the Seattle Mariners signed a 20-year-old prospect to a $95 million deal, before he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-608643","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}