SEATTLE (AP) — Colt Emerson and the Seattle Mariners agreed Tuesday to a $95 million, eight-year contract, the largest amount for a minor league prospect yet to make his major league debut.
The contract starts this season and includes a team option for 2034. It surpassed outfielder Jackson Chourio's $82 million, eight-year deal with Milwaukee when he was still a minor leaguer in December 2023.
Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said the team first engaged in contract discussions with Emerson's agent in spring training, and he was pleased ahead of Seattle’s game Tuesday night against the New York Yankees.
“We felt that this was the right time to put something in front of Colt that kept him a part of what’s happening with the Mariners through the prime years of his career," Dipoto said. “He has run up the food chain so quickly because of his performance and his maturity, work habits.”
Dipoto also understands there is reason for concern with signing a 20-year-old shortstop to such a contract before he plays in his first major league game.
“It’s a risk on both sides," Dipoto said. "We see a super-talented player who we believe in.”
Emerson gets an $8 million signing bonus and salaries of $1 million this year, $2 million in 2027, $9 million in 2028, $12 million in 2029, $14 million in 2030, $15 million in 2031, $16 million in 2032 and $18 million in 2033.
Seattle has a $25 million club option for 2034 with no buyout.
The Mariners selected Emerson was selected by Seattle with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft. Emerson entered the season as Baseball America's No. 7 prospect.
He was batting .357 with one home run, a double and a 1.000 OPS in three games for Triple-A Tacoma. He appeared in 18 spring training games for the Mariners and batted .268 with two homers, eight RBIs and an .828 OPS. Dipoto anticipates Emerson's stint in Tacoma won't be a particularly long one.
“I suspect he will be a big leaguer sooner than later, and will contribute heavily to this season," Dipoto said. "And, I thought that was the case before we signed him. This signing was more about the long term than it was this season.”
Emerson is believed to be Seattle's shortstop of the future, and will one day replace J.P. Crawford, who is the longest-tenured player on the roster.
Crawford began a rehab assignment with Tacoma on Tuesday. He started the season on the 10-day injured list because of a right shoulder injury.
Once Crawford is healthy and Emerson makes it to the big leagues, Dipoto suggested that Crawford will stay at shortstop and Emerson will mostly play at third base.
“That was always our plan,” Dipoto said. “It’s why you saw Colt so frequently at third base in the spring is we were preparing for that, and third base came pretty easy for him.”
All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan and utilityman Leo Rivas have started each Mariners game this season at third base and shortstop, respectively. Soon, it could be a different duo manning the left side of Seattle's infield, and Emerson is in position to do so for the next decade in the Emerald City.
“It takes a lot of trust on both sides to do a deal like this," Dipoto said, "and I’m glad Colt trusted us, and it’s evident with this deal that we trust him.”
AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in Atlanta contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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