The earliest MLB contract extensions

In 2025, three players -- the Orioles’ Samuel Basallo and Red Sox teammates Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell -- inked long-term contract extensions soon after making their MLB debuts. And now in 2026, three more players have signed early extensions, two of them before even debuting in the big leagues:

• Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners: eight years, $95 million (zero days of service time)
• Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers: eight years, $50.75 million (zero days of service time)
• Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates: nine years, $140 million (five days of service time)

A number of other players have signed extensions with very little time in the bigs. Below are notable examples of players who agreed to extensions at very early points in their careers, in order of how much service time they had accrued when they finalized those deals:

Cooper Pratt, Brewers -- April 2026 (Zero days of service time)

Pratt had played only a handful of games above Double-A when he and the Brewers agreed to an eight-year contract extension with two option years. A sixth-round Draft pick in 2023, Pratt was the No. 62 prospect in MLB and Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect at the time of the deal.

Colt Emerson, Mariners -- March 2026 (Zero days of service time)

Emerson, 20, was selected by the Mariners in the first round (22nd overall pick) of the 2023 MLB Draft. Less than three years later, the Mariners inked him to an extension that is expected to be worth $95 million, making it the largest contract signed by a player with zero days of service time. The shortstop was Seattle's No. 1 prospect and baseball's No. 7 overall, per MLB Pipeline, at the time of the deal, which runs through 2033 and includes a '34 club option.

Colt Keith, Tigers -- January 2024 (Zero days of service time)

After injuries limited Keith to 113 games over his first two Minor League seasons, the infielder stayed healthy and made significant progress in 2023, hitting .306 with 27 homers, 101 RBIs and a .932 OPS over 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Fresh off that performance, the Tigers signed him to a contract that could keep him with the organization through 2032, if all three of his club options are exercised. Keith debuted in Detroit in 2024 and hit 13 homers in each of his first two Major League seasons.

Jackson Chourio, Brewers -- December 2023 (Zero days of service time)

Chourio quickly ascended Milwaukee’s system after he signed with the team as an amateur free agent out of his native Venezuela in 2021. Chourio had played only six games above the Double-A level at the time of his signing. However, his relative lack of experience in the high Minors did not stop the Brewers from seeking a long-term contract with the 19-year-old, whose dynamic skills were on display throughout his 2024 debut year in the bigs. He recorded a .275/.327/.464 slash line with 21 homers and 22 steals. He was also a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year.

Luis Robert Jr., White Sox -- January 2020 (Zero days of service time)

The White Sox ensured that Robert would remain on the South Side for years to come when they inked the outfielder to a six-year, $50 million extension (with two additional option years) just after New Year's Day. After tearing up Minor League pitching in 2019, hitting .328 with 32 homers and 36 steals as he climbed three levels of Chicago's farm system, Robert debuted in '20 with 11 home runs, a Gold Glove Award in center field and a runner-up finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting. The outfielder earned his first All-Star selection in '23, producing 38 homers, 80 RBIs, 20 steals and an .857 OPS over 145 games. However, a pair of disappointing and injury-plagued seasons followed before Robert was traded to the Mets ahead of the 2026 season.

Evan White, Mariners -- November 2019 (Zero days of service time)

The 23-year-old first baseman secured his future with the Mariners with a deal spanning at least six years. The contract guaranteed White $24 million and included three additional club option years that could take the value to as high as $55.5 million. White, who ranked No. 58 among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects and No. 4 among Mariners prospects at the time of his deal, became just the fourth player in MLB history to sign a long-term contract before reaching the Majors. White won a Gold Glove Award at first base as a rookie in 2020, but he hit just .165/.235/.308 over his first two seasons and hasn't appeared in the Majors since '21 due to injuries. His tenure with the Mariners came to an end when they traded him to the Braves in December '23.

Eloy Jiménez, White Sox -- March 2019 (Zero days of service time)

Jiménez had yet to appear in a big league game at the time of his deal, but that didn't stop the White Sox from giving him a big-time contract. In March 2019, eight days before its season opener, Chicago signed Jiménez to a six-year, $43 million deal that included a pair of club options. The contract made Jiménez, MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect at the time, just the third player to sign an extension before his MLB debut. It was also the largest contract by total value given to a player in his position. Jiménez grew into his power after a slow start, finishing his rookie year with 31 homers and a .513 slugging percentage. He placed fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. However, the rest of his White Sox tenure was marred by injuries and he was traded to the Orioles in '24. Overall, Jiménez slashed .269/.318/.462 with 95 home runs and 5.3 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) over 534 games during the life of his contract.

Scott Kingery, Phillies -- March 2018 (Zero days of service time)

Kingery earned the 2017 Paul Owens Award as the Phillies' top Minor League position player after hitting .304/.359/.530 with 26 home runs and 29 stolen bases across the Double- and Triple-A levels. That made the second baseman the only player in the Majors or Minors to record a 25-25 season in '17, and Kingery continued that roll into Spring Training '18, batting nearly .400 and slugging over .700. The infielder's hot spring proved too enticing -- the Phils not only put him on their big league roster to open '18 but also signed him to a six-year, $24 million deal that also included three club options. However, Kingery ended up playing just 325 games for the Phillies -- slashing .229/.280/.387 -- before becoming a free agent when the team declined his '24 club option.

Jon Singleton, Astros -- June 2014 (Zero days of service time)

The Astros were still rebuilding when they inked Singleton to a five-year, $10 million contract and brought him up to the big league roster. The deal made Singleton the first player in history to sign an extension before his MLB debut. The first baseman was the Astros' third-ranked prospect at the time, behind future star Carlos Correa and right-hander Mark Appel, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 Draft. Singleton struggled (.620 OPS over 362 plate appearances) in his first callup, however, and played only 114 games with the Astros in '14-15. After logging nary an MLB appearance across '16-22, Singleton returned to the Majors with the Brewers in '23 and even found his way back to Houston after being released by Milwaukee.

Samuel Basallo, Orioles -- August 2025 (Five days of service time)

After signing with the Orioles as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 16 in 2021, Basallo didn’t take long to establish himself as one of baseball’s top prospects. He reached Double-A as a teenager in 2023 and ascended to Triple-A one year later before making his MLB debut on Aug. 17, ’25, ranking as baseball's eighth overall prospect per MLB Pipeline at the time of his callup. Only four games into Basallo’s big league tenure, the O’s struck an eight-year, $67 million extension with the young catcher that includes a 2034 club option.

Konnor Griffin, Pirates -- April 2026 (Five days of service time)

The ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Griffin zoomed through three Minor League levels in '25, ascending to the No. 1 overall spot on MLB Pipeline's list of baseball's top overall prospects along the way. After starting out 2026 in Triple-A, Griffin was called up to the Majors on April 3 and became the first teenaged position player to appear in an MLB game since Juan Soto in '18. Five games into his career, he signed the largest contract in Pirates history -- a nine-year deal that will reportedly pay him $140 million.

Kristian Campbell, Red Sox -- April 2025 (Six days of service time)

Campbell quickly rose through Boston’s system, ascending from an unheralded fourth-round pick in the 2023 Draft to the Red Sox Opening Day second baseman in 2025. The 22-year-old was named the organization’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2024, slashing .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs across three levels. After watching Campbell tally six hits (three for extra bases) in his first four games, the Red Sox signed him to a six-year, $60 million deal that could keep him in Boston through 2034 if both of his club options are exercised. Campbell, however, struggled after signing the deal and finished his rookie season with a .664 OPS.

Matt Moore, Rays -- December 2011 (17 days of service time)

Moore's extension -- a $14 million deal over five seasons -- was a first for a pitcher, but the Rays saw enough in Moore's first 19 Major League innings to make sure he stuck around in Tampa. Those 19 innings included 10 in the American League Division Series against Texas, when Moore held the Rangers offense to just one run across two outings. The deal was huge for Moore, who had signed for just $115,000 as an eighth-round Draft choice in 2007. Tampa Bay benefited from the extension, too, getting a quality southpaw starter who went 39-28 with a 3.88 ERA -- albeit with some injuries along the way -- before the Rays traded Moore to the Giants at the '16 Deadline.

Evan Longoria, Rays -- April 2008 (24 days of service time)

The Rays transformed from expansion also-rans to AL contenders at this time, and Longoria's incredibly team-friendly contract was a major milestone on that journey. Longoria's six-year, $17.5 million deal certainly seemed a little riskier at the time, given that he had appeared in just six big league games when he signed. But the Rays' timing could hardly have been any better -- Longoria captured the 2008 AL Rookie of the Year Award and led the Rays to their first pennant while hitting 27 homers with 85 RBIs, developing into a perennial All-Star and face of the franchise at third base. Longoria eventually got another six-year, $100 million extension in '12.

Corbin Carroll, D-backs -- March 2023 (38 days of service time)

A monthlong callup at the end of the 2022 season was all the D-backs needed to see from their top prospect to give him a huge long-term deal. In Spring Training '23, Carroll agreed to an eight-year contract extension with Arizona worth a guaranteed $111 million. The outfielder, who earned a rank as MLB's No. 2 overall prospect entering the '23 season, went on to produce 25 homers, 54 steals and a 134 OPS+ over 155 games in the regular season before helping the D-backs make a surprising run to the World Series. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year at the end of the campaign.

Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox -- April 2024 (49 days of service time)

Although Rafaela didn't produce much during a 28-game cameo with Boston late in 2023, the Red Sox showed what they think of his potential when they reached an eight-year extension worth $50 million with the outfielder less than two weeks into the 2024 season. Rafaela is an excellent defender in center field and produced 20 homers with 36 steals over 108 games in the Minors in 2023.

Salvador Perez, Royals -- February 2012 (50 days of service time)

Kansas City's front office was already impressed with Perez's stellar defense behind the plate to sign the 21-year-old to a $7 million deal over five years. But Perez proved to be adept with his bat, too, bringing both average and power to go along with his Gold Glove defense. The catcher's incredible durability and personality endeared him to Kansas City fans, and it's safe to say the Royals got more than their money's worth when they originally signed one of baseball's best backstops. Perez's second contract with Kansas City was much larger: a five-year, $52.5 million deal signed in March 2016.

OTHER EXTENSIONS SIGNED WITH LESS THAN A YEAR OF MLB SERVICE TIME

Brandon Lowe, Rays: March 2019 (58 days of service time)
Roman Anthony, Red Sox: August 2025 (58 days of service time)
Michael Harris II, Braves: August 2022 (81 days of service time)
Wander Franco, Rays: November 2021 (104 days of service time)
Tim Anderson, White Sox: March 2017 (115 days of service time)
Paul DeJong, Cardinals: March 2018 (124 days of service time)
Julio Rodríguez, Mariners: August 2022 (141 days of service time)
Chris Archer, Rays: April 2014 (156 days of service time)
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: April 2019 (165 days of service time)