SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $95 million, eight-year deal with top prospect Colt Emerson, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The contract, which starts this season and includes a team option for 2034, would be the largest ever for a player who has not made his major league debut.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced.
Mariners manager
Dan Wilson congratulated Emerson ahead of Seattle's Tuesday night game against the New York Yankees.
“An incredible day for him, I’m sure," Wilson said. "And, a great spring training. No doubt about it. And, what we have seen from him, he’s a great kid and a great player. And, it’s an exciting day for him.”
The Mariners selected the 20-year-old shortstop with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft. Emerson entered the season as Baseball America's No. 7 prospect.
Emerson batted .357 with one home run and a double and a 1.000 on-base percentage plus slugging in three games for Triple-A Tacoma. He appeared in 18 spring training games for the Mariners and batted .268 with two homers and eight RBIs and an .828 OPS.
What impressed Wilson most about Emerson during spring training was his approach at the plate, as well as how he handles himself.
“It’s very reminiscent of a lot of guys that we have in this clubhouse. Just the way, his desire to win. And, it’s really a great driver of who he is and how he plays this game. And, as we’ve talked about in spring training sometimes, he just plays with a little bit more maturity.”
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 Mariners roster.
Crawford began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday. He started the season on the 10-day injured list because of a right shoulder injury.
It is unclear once Crawford is healthy and Emerson makes it to big leagues where the Mariners will put each of their natural shortstops on the field. All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan and utilityman Leo Rivas have started each Mariners game this season at third base and shortstop, respectively.
When asked if he has talked with Crawford yet about Emerson, Wilson deflected.
“Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see (Crawford) when he gets back from his rehab," Wilson said. "But, like I said, we’ve got a lot of focus on what’s going on here, and we’ll continue to do that.”
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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