Brewers finalize 8-year pact with shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt
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The Brewers finalized a new, eight-year contract for 21-year-old shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt on Friday to remain at the forefront of a wave of clubs committing to promising players before they ever step foot in the Major Leagues.
Pratt (MLB Pipeline’s No. 61-ranked prospect) gets a spot on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster with the deal, which reportedly guarantees $50.75 million. It covers the 2026-33 seasons, with club options for '34 and '35.
It also comes with a spot on the 40-man roster. The Brewers added Pratt and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville. In a corresponding move, the club designated outfielder Steward Berroa for assignment.
"We are very excited to make this long-term commitment to Cooper," said president of baseball operations Matt Arnold. "He is a player we feel will be an instrumental part of our future success in Milwaukee. Cooper has all the tools to be a special player, and we are thrilled that he will be in a Brewers uniform for years to come. This commitment continues to show our organization's passion, led by ownership, to consistently produce a winning team season after season."
Those terms -- eight years plus two club options -- are the same as the precedent-setting pact between Jackson Chourio and the Brewers when the sides reached terms late 2023. It stood as a record commitment to a player prior to his Major League debut until the Mariners signed shortstop Colt Emerson on Wednesday to an eight-year, $95 million deal, which in turn was followed by word on Thursday that the Pirates were nearing a nine-year, $140 million contract with MLB Pipeline No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin.
Pratt, who is represented by agent Scott Boras, agreed to a deal that fits the same pattern of a club taking a risk on a still-developing player, and the player trading potential future earnings for the security of a long-term contract.
Touted for his premium defense and work ethic, Pratt had never played north of Double-A before being assigned to Triple-A Nashville to begin this season. Last year in the Southern League, he hit .238/.343/.348 while playing Major League-caliber shortstop.
The Brewers drafted Pratt out of high school in the sixth round in 2023 and convinced him to forego a scholarship at Ole Miss with a $1,350,000 signing bonus -- more than $1 million over the slot value for that pick -- as part of a shrewd strategy of shifting Draft pool dollars to high-upside players in the middle rounds. He took part in his second big league camp this spring and was one of the Minor Leaguers carried north to Milwaukee at the end of camp for a pair of exhibition games against the Reds.
Pratt has baseball in his blood. His father, Russell, played college ball at the University of Utah and two of his uncles played pro ball. Scott Pratt was an infielder in the Cleveland and Atlanta systems from 1998-2005, and Trent Pratt was a catcher in the Philadelphia system from 2002-05 after playing two collegiate seasons for Pat Murphy at Arizona State.