In his annual assessment of the long-term value of “graduated rookies” from 2026, MLB.com’s Jim Callis ranks the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin number one, just as he ranked him the number one rookie going into the season. Callis praises “Griffin’s upside as a potential 30-30 shortstop with Gold Glove defense.”
Two other Pirates make the list. Pitcher Bubba Chandler is ranked number fourteen and outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez is at number thirty-three.
MLB
Major League Baseball’s owners yesterday proposed delaying implementation of a salary cap and floor until 2028 to give teams a chance to transition from the current system of unrestricted salaries with a luxury tax helping small-market teams.
Under the proposal, teams would have a salary cap of $258.2 million per season and a salary floor of $180.2 million. The Pirates’ player salaries totaled $106.7 million in 2026.
The MLB Players Association continues to say it will never accept a salary cap system, and the two sides still appear headed for a lockout that would threaten the 2027 season.
YANKEES
The New York Yankees have made a qualifying offer to free agent closer David Bednar but declined to offer second baseman Jazz Chisholm, who becomes a free agent with no compensation due the Yanks.
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