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Cooper Pratt has put pen to paper.
The Milwaukee Brewers and their 21-year-old shortstop prospect have finalized an eight-year extension with two team options that could keep him with the organization through 2035.
Pratt’s contract is worth a reported $50.75 million guaranteed and could reach just north of $80 million if both options worth $15 million are picked up. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was first to report the deal earlier in the week.
It is the third-largest contract ever given out to a player yet to make his MLB debut, trailing only teammate Jackson Chourio (eight years, $82 million) and Seattle’s Colt Emerson (eight years, $95 million). Both Emerson and Pratt signed reached agreements on extensions this week, part of an extension-heavy period for young prospects. When Konnor Griffin, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, and the Pirates announce their reported nine year, $140 million deal, that will blow deals like Pratt’s out of the water.
Pratt’s contract kicks in immediately, with the Brewers adding him to the 40-man roster along with the contract announcement April 3. Pratt will remain at Class AAA, where he has played all of three games. Pratt has the fewest games at Class AAA or higher of any player to ever sign a contract extension.
More: After Brewers' Cooper Pratt, more top shortstop prospects sign deals
A sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, Pratt initially signed for a well-overslot $1.35 million. Known most for his strong defense at shortstop and bat-to-ball abilities, he ranks as the No. 53 prospect in the game by Baseball America. The Journal Sentinel ranked Pratt as the second-best prospect in the Brewers organization this past off-season.
Pratt hit just .238 with eight homers and a .691 OPS last year at Class AA Biloxi in the difficult hitting environment of the Southern League. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, the Brewers hope Pratt grows into more impact power in games that, paired with his excellent glove, makes him a valuable player up the middle for years to come.
He’s part of a promising group of left-side infield prospects that includes Jesús Made, Milwaukee’s No. 1 prospect, Luis Peña and Andrew Fischer.
Pratt’s immediate impact on the Brewers at the big-league level is unclear. The team remains committed to Joey Ortiz at shortstop because of his elite defense and potential to be a league-average bat. Brice Turang, meanwhile, has second base locked down for the foreseeable future with his all-star caliber play.
Pratt becomes the only non-big league member of the 40-man roster who can play the left side of the infield, so he seems likely to make his debut at some point in 2026, but for the time being requires more seasoning in Nashville.
Adding intrigue to Pratt’s deal is his representation by Scott Boras, baseball’s megalith agent whose reputation is to almost never have his players sign pre-free agency extensions. And when Boras-represented players do agree to a rare extension, it’s typically those at the top end of the market receiving deals akin to what they would receive in free agency, such as Stephen Strasburg’s seven year, $175 million deal with Washington in 2019.
But Pratt and the Brewers broke the mold in their negotiations, securing Pratt’s financial future while also providing the team with potential cost savings down the road if their shortstop blooms into the player they believe he can be.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cooper Pratt signs contract extension with Brewers before MLB debut
Continue reading...
The Milwaukee Brewers and their 21-year-old shortstop prospect have finalized an eight-year extension with two team options that could keep him with the organization through 2035.
Pratt’s contract is worth a reported $50.75 million guaranteed and could reach just north of $80 million if both options worth $15 million are picked up. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was first to report the deal earlier in the week.
It is the third-largest contract ever given out to a player yet to make his MLB debut, trailing only teammate Jackson Chourio (eight years, $82 million) and Seattle’s Colt Emerson (eight years, $95 million). Both Emerson and Pratt signed reached agreements on extensions this week, part of an extension-heavy period for young prospects. When Konnor Griffin, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, and the Pirates announce their reported nine year, $140 million deal, that will blow deals like Pratt’s out of the water.
Pratt’s contract kicks in immediately, with the Brewers adding him to the 40-man roster along with the contract announcement April 3. Pratt will remain at Class AAA, where he has played all of three games. Pratt has the fewest games at Class AAA or higher of any player to ever sign a contract extension.
More: After Brewers' Cooper Pratt, more top shortstop prospects sign deals
A sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, Pratt initially signed for a well-overslot $1.35 million. Known most for his strong defense at shortstop and bat-to-ball abilities, he ranks as the No. 53 prospect in the game by Baseball America. The Journal Sentinel ranked Pratt as the second-best prospect in the Brewers organization this past off-season.
Pratt hit just .238 with eight homers and a .691 OPS last year at Class AA Biloxi in the difficult hitting environment of the Southern League. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, the Brewers hope Pratt grows into more impact power in games that, paired with his excellent glove, makes him a valuable player up the middle for years to come.
He’s part of a promising group of left-side infield prospects that includes Jesús Made, Milwaukee’s No. 1 prospect, Luis Peña and Andrew Fischer.
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Pratt’s immediate impact on the Brewers at the big-league level is unclear. The team remains committed to Joey Ortiz at shortstop because of his elite defense and potential to be a league-average bat. Brice Turang, meanwhile, has second base locked down for the foreseeable future with his all-star caliber play.
Pratt becomes the only non-big league member of the 40-man roster who can play the left side of the infield, so he seems likely to make his debut at some point in 2026, but for the time being requires more seasoning in Nashville.
Adding intrigue to Pratt’s deal is his representation by Scott Boras, baseball’s megalith agent whose reputation is to almost never have his players sign pre-free agency extensions. And when Boras-represented players do agree to a rare extension, it’s typically those at the top end of the market receiving deals akin to what they would receive in free agency, such as Stephen Strasburg’s seven year, $175 million deal with Washington in 2019.
But Pratt and the Brewers broke the mold in their negotiations, securing Pratt’s financial future while also providing the team with potential cost savings down the road if their shortstop blooms into the player they believe he can be.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cooper Pratt signs contract extension with Brewers before MLB debut
Continue reading...
