Milwaukee Brewers, Top Prospect Agree to Record-Breaking Contract Extension

It is interesting to note that Heyman says that Chourio is expected to be the center fielder in 2024. Previous reports from the team said that he wouldn't break camp with the major league squad out of spring training. Perhaps now with a long-term contract in hand and service time no longer a worry, there's a different tune being sung.

Chourio is the top prospect in the organization and the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, behind only Jackson Holliday of the Orioles.

Signing early extensions like this carries significant risk for both sides. First, the team could be guaranteeing $82 million to a player that gets injured or massively under performs in the future. Evan White of the Seattle Mariners signed a deal before ever taking the field and he's barely played during the life of that contract because of injury. It was only for $24 million, so imagine what the conversation would be if it were a deal like this one.

On the other side, Chourio could be taking a deal that he massively out-performs and could end up underpaid. It's interesting to note that the options in the deal are club options and not player options, which would have given Chourio some flexibility.

He hit .282 this season between Double-A and Triple-A. He also hit 22 home runs, drove in 91 and stole 44 bases. 

Per his MLB.com prospect profile:

Chourio brings multiple at least plus tools to the table. His 70-grade speed is perhaps the loudest, and it was a big reason why Milwaukee moved him to center field, where he could cover even more ground than shortstop. What’s more, his contact at the plate is loud and capable of playing everywhere in the park. Brewers officials were often awestruck at how the right-handed slugger thumped the ball to right almost as easily as he did to left.