Projecting the cost of a Brewers extension for new No. 1 prospect Jesús Made

The Milwaukee Brewers are not strangers to signing their top prospects to long-term extensions, nor do they lack experience when it comes to locking in young shortstops to lengthy contracts. The former was achieved when Milwaukee made history by signing Jackson Chourio, the then No. 2 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, to the most expensive contract (8-year, $82 million) ever given to a player who had yet to make their major league debut. The latter was achieved just weeks ago when the Brewers gave shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt an 8-year, $50.75 million deal back in early April.

With the Brewers not shying away from giving long-term contracts to their future stars, the conversation has naturally turned to shortstop prospect Jesús Made, who, despite turning 19 years old at the beginning of the month, is just two steps away from the big leagues. Made has continued to impress in his first few weeks in Double-A and just yesterday was named MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect in baseball after Konnor Griffin of the Pittsburgh Pirates officially graduated from his prospect status.

However, it's not just MLB Pipeline that has deemed Made the best prospect in baseball; essentially every publication that evaluates prospects agrees that the 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop is the best prospect in baseball. When there's that kind of consensus surrounding a player, it's almost a guarantee that he will go on to have a very successful career in the big leagues. For evidence, just look at some of MLB Pipeline's former No. 1 overall prospects. That list includes names like Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Corey Seager, and Byron Buxton.

With it becoming increasingly likely that Made will eventually be an impactful major leaguer, the Brewers would be wise to lock him in to a long-term contract that could end up being very favorable for the organization. However, since signing top prospects to long-term contracts has become more popular, the negotiation between the Brewers and Made's representatives has been complicated.

Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle's recent contract extensions have set a high price for a Brewers' potential deal with Jesús Made

A precedent has been set when it comes to long-term extensions for top shortstop prospects, and it's not a cheap one. Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, who is also 19 years old, plays shortstop and was the top prospect in baseball at the time of his extension. The Pirates gave Griffin a 9-year, $140 million deal in early April. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers' shortstop, Kevin McGonigle, who began the season as MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect, sandwiched in between Griffin and Made, earned an 8-year, $150 million contract in April as well.

McGonigle is slightly older than both Griffin and Made -- he will turn 22 before the end of the season -- which could be the reason he earned a shorter but more lucrative deal. It's more likely that Made's contract, should he sign one with the Brewers, resembles Griffin's. Certainly, Made's representatives will turn to both contracts when negotiating a long-term deal with the Brewers.

It's likely that any contract Made does agree to happens during this upcoming offseason, though labor negotiations could have an impact on the timing and construction of the deal. Made's performance throughout the rest of the 2026 season will impact a potential contract as well, but it's fair to say that Griffin was a better prospect at the time he signed his deal than Made will be this winter. As a result, it's likely Made's deal isn't quite as rich as Griffin's was.

However, it's important to note that while both Pratt and Chourio's contracts have two years of club options at the end, a favorable inclusion for the club that could extend each of their deals to 10-year pacts, neither Griffin's nor McGonigle's deals include the same flexibility. Therefore, a likely outcome is that Made ends up signing a deal similar to Griffin's, but with two club options on the end. For predictions' sake, Made could be looking at something like a nine-year, $130-140 million contract with two club options each worth $20 million on the end of the deal.

As previously noted, it's likely any deal that does occur happens this upcoming winter, which would put Made in line to make the Brewers' 2027 Opening Day roster. Though nothing is a guarantee, both sides should be motivated to get a deal done as uncertainty looms with MLB's labor negotiations on the horizon.

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