Why Do MLB Teams Give Players Who Haven’t Played a Game in the Major Leagues a Contract Extension?

What do players like Cooper Pratt, Colt Emerson, Colt Keith, Luis Robert Jr., and William Contreras have in common? They have all been extended with 0 days of MLB service time (there are a few more players who have been extended with 0 days of MLB service time, but these are the most recent ones). But why would any MLB team extend their player without seeing them play a major league game? That is the question I will be answering in this article.

For context, Cooper Pratt, Colt Emerson, Colt Keith, Luis Robert Jr., William Contreras, Evan White, Eloy Jiménez, Scott Kingery and Jon Singleton are all the notable players that have been extended before playing an MLB game, so it doesn’t happen super often, but it is becoming increasingly common in MLB as teams are trying to lock up what they think is the next superstar.

I look at why this makes sense from two sides. The players side and the teams side. That way, you’ll get a better understanding of why either side would agree to a contract extension without any MLB experience.

From the players' side, it’s a safe contract and a safe bet. If said player gets injured, you still have that contract, so their entire career is not over. If that player gets released, he still has his large contract by his side, so he still gets paid. It is guaranteed money even if your performance dips or anything else happens. You are also entering the free agent pool a few years after you usually would, so you are not going to be entering the market after your mid 30s. What that means is that even if you sign a contract extension, after that extension is up you will still be young and able to sign a lengthy contract in free agency. Signing an extension is also an escape from the MLB league minimum (which I talked about in this article). It could also be that as a player, you really want to stay with that team for the long term, and are willing to take less than what other teams would offer you, so that you can remain on said team long term.

From the team's perspective, you are trying to lock up a future superstar before they become a free agent and possibly demand a hefty sum. For teams like the Rays, Pirates, Mariners, and Brewers, extending the right players before they reach free agency is a necessity. Those teams don’t have the dollars to re-sign their superstars once they are a free agent, so they have to take a bet on them years earlier. Another benefit of extending players before they play a game MLB is because you already have 6 years with that player, and adding an extension before a full year of service time will grant you more chances to win it all with said player on your team. And a star player locked up on your team is what every General Manager in MLB wants.

Thanks for reading!