Sports
Rookie SS Konnor Griffin gets 9-year contract extension from Pirates
Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (6) and center fielder Oneil Cruz (15) take the field for the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates said Wednesday they have agreed to a nine-year contract extension with shortstop Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball.
The team did not announce the contract value, but ESPN pegged it at $140 million, making it the largest amount of guaranteed money in Pirates history and the most for any rookie.
The Pirates selected Griffin with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Miss. A year earlier, the Pirates took pitcher Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall pick.
Griffin turns 20 on April 24. He started this season at Triple-A Indianapolis and was called up to make his major league debut on April 4.
“Signing Konnor is a meaningful commitment to this team, this city and our fans. It reflects our belief in Konnor, in this season’s club and in the future of our organization,” Pirates chair Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Konnor represents everything we value in a player — exceptional talent, strong character, a team-first mentality and a maturity that stood out to all of us from the beginning. He is the right person, from the right family. This is another important step in the work we have been doing to build a winning team, for this year and going forward.”
The contract was a matter of when, not if. ESPN reported that by waiting until after Griffin’s debut to agree to a deal, the Pirates would gain a first-round draft pick should Griffin win Rookie of the Year honors or be voted in the top three for Most Valuable Player in 2026, 2027 or 2028.
“This week has been amazing, debut week, and then sitting here signing a contract, it’s been amazing,” Griffin said, per ESPN. “It’s one of the best weeks of my life. … But it’ll be even better if we can get a win today.”
In 2025, he was named minor league player of the year after hitting .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. Those statistics are combined for his 122 games across three levels — Class A, High A and Double A.
In his first five games with Pittsburgh, Griffin is hitting .176 with three RBIs.
He becomes the third shortstop prospect to sign a lucrative extension this spring. Seattle signed Colt Emerson to a contract worth $95 million over eight years. Milwaukee and Cooper Pratt agreed to a $50.75 million contract to run eight seasons with two team options.
Both Emerson and Pratt are playing at Triple A to open the season.
The Pirates last made the playoffs in 2015.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austrian teen Lilli Tagger stuns No. 3 Liudmila Samsonova in Linz
Lilli Tagger celebrates winning her first-round match over Varvara Gracheva of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Thursday, March 5, 2026. Tagger, just 18-years-old, marked her first-ever WTA 1000 event win. Local wild-card competitor Lilli Tagger pulled off a 6-2, 7-6 (11) defeat of No. 3 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria.
Tagger, who turned 18 in February, converted three of five break-point opportunities while winning 22 of 32 second-return points (69%). She staved off four set points in her final service game of the second set before clinching after a marathon second-set tiebreaker to reach her first clay-court semifinal on the WTA Tour.
Next up for Tagger is fellow Austrian Anastasia Potapova, who blew past Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch for a 6-2, 6-1 victory in 91 minutes, converting seven of her 14 break-point opportunities.
No. 2 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia was also ousted from the tournament in the second round, thrashed by unseeded Czech competitor Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3 in 60 minutes.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic also advanced to the quarterfinals via walkover as Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina was forced to withdraw due to illness. She’ll face Pliskova for a semifinal on the side of the bracket which has no seeded players left after Thursday’s two upsets.
–Field Level Media
Sports
New York City FC's Drew Baiera (ACL) to undergo surgery
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC defender Drew Baiera (38) looks on during the second half against the Inter Miami at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images New York City FC defender Drew Baiera will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured ACL in his left knee, the team said Thursday.
Baiera played in 21 minutes over three matches for NYCFC and didn’t dent the scoresheet.
Per NYCFC.network, Baiera sustained the injury during his recent stint with the U.S. youth national team.
The 19-year-old will begin rehab immediately after the surgery.
New York City FC visit the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michigan adds former Tennessee F J.P. Estrella
Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella (13) signals a close shot during the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game against Michigan at the United Center in Chicago on March 29, 2026. Tennessee transfer forward J.P. Estrella told multiple media outlets on Thursday that he has committed to national champion Michigan.
Listed at 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, Estrella averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 33 games (13 starts) with the Volunteers this past season. Tennessee’s season came to an end in the Elite Eight, courtesy of a 95-62 setback to the Wolverines on March 29.
Michigan went on to capture its second national championship and first since 1989 with a 69-63 victory over UConn on Monday.
Estrella missed all but three games in 2024-25 after having season-ending surgery on his left foot.
He was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 out of Brewster Academy in South Portland, Maine.
–Field Level Media
Austrian teen Lilli Tagger stuns No. 3 Liudmila Samsonova in Linz
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