00:00I think I want to start with Connor Griffin, because he has generated so many conversations. Jeff Passon reported earlier
00:07this week that the Pirates are expected to make an extension offer to Connor Griffin. At this point, he's 19
00:12years old. It may happen at some point this spring. The numbers overall are not awesome, per se, but there
00:19have been three tape measure shots, and this guy is running baseball social media right now.
00:24Yeah, it's also one of those situations, especially in such a small sample, where it's like, you know, old school,
00:29like, use your eyeballs. And I think if you've been using your eyeballs on Connor Griffin, this spring training, even,
00:37you know, with a lot of the loud outs, so even the data would back it up, too. But he
00:42just looks comfortable out there. He also looks like a grown man, you know, and I think sometimes you see
00:48the 19 year old trying to make a team and sometimes they're talented enough to do it. But they look
00:52young out there.
00:53Connor Griffin is looks the part. But on top of that, again, some of his outs have been some of
00:59the hardest hit balls that he's had, you know, so far this spring. So, you know, while it is still
01:03three for what, three for 14 with three homers, he has a ton of line outs. He's only punched out
01:09two times. He looks good defensively. I mean, there's a really strong case here for Griffin to make the team.
01:14And I think he is going to that's gonna be my hot take. I'm probably skipping like your follow up
01:18question here.
01:19I just want to say before I forgot, because if we're starting the extension talks here, I always feel like
01:25that increases the chances a lot. It's usually a good faith indicator going into the extension talks. And you're less
01:32worried about that extra year of service time. If you know you're going to work out a long term extension
01:38here, too. So I don't know, it just has me feeling a little bit more confident on top of the
01:42way he's playing.
01:43I would think so. And you think about recent precedent for those pre debut extensions. Luis Robert, after he signed
01:49his pre debut extension was on the opening day roster in that COVID shortened year for the White Sox in
01:542020. Jackson Chorio, he wasted no time in Nashville like he wasn't an $80 million player as a Nashville sound
02:02waiting on that call up. Neither was Colt Keith. Colt Keith was on the opening day roster.
02:06I know is a smaller deal as it pertains to total money, but Colt Keith got the extension. It's not
02:12like he went to Toledo to open that year. You're not giving a guy that money to blossom as a
02:17member of the Altoona curve and a $100 million player in Connor Griffin is playing at people's natural gas stadium
02:23in Altoona against the Redding fight and fills. That just doesn't happen. So I'm totally with you. I wasn't even
02:29going to ask that follow up because if like he puts pen to paper at some point this spring, he's
02:34on the opening day roster.
02:35I think it's kind of a non-starter for him not to be on the opening day roster. The question
02:39that I will pose to you is that Pittsburgh's best foot forward to extend this guy. And I think about
02:44it in terms of 26 contention, 27 contention. I also think in terms of Paul Skeen's retention and Jared Jones
02:51retention above a Chandler retention paying Griffin and having him be on the opening day roster. Is that a perfect
02:58sign of good faith and best foot forward for the Pittsburgh Pirates?
03:01I think so because look, it's easy to say yes, right? I think it's easy to always have the perspective
03:06that, oh, why would this guy take the deal? We always talk about that. There's risk involved, especially for pre
03:11-debut extensions. There's risk involved, but I think this is a risk you have to take.
03:16If you're the Pittsburgh Pirates, right? The ship is most likely sailed on you being able to extend Paul Skeen's,
03:22especially with the precedent here and how much now he's probably going to make an arbitration after the school rule
03:26ruling.
03:27Once he gets there, odds of you extending Paul Skeen's probably very slim, if at all. So I feel like
03:33this is your chance to retain your superstar. How often do you get two generational type superstar talents here? And
03:39look, yeah, there's some risk that maybe he whiffs more than you think. And it doesn't look as good as
03:44you hope. That's, I think, still something that I think people are becoming less and less worried about very clearly.
03:49And I think it's not as much of a concern clearly at all. But of course, any pre-arb deal
03:53or pre-debut deal, there's going to be some risk for an organization like the Pirates, where they have not
03:59spent a ton of money.
04:00We finally see them spend a little bit. I think it's the perfect way to follow up a good spring
04:04or a good offseason where you sign some free agents.
04:07And I think even more so, this is your one shot to be able to retain a potential superstar talent
04:12here, where once you get a couple years into his career, odds are they're not going to meet that $300,
04:18$400 million price tag it'll probably require.
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