The Pittsburgh Pirates - a franchise that's been the poster child for penny-pinching for the better part of two decades - just offered Konnor Griffin more than $100 million.

Let me say that again: The Pirates. One HUNDRED million dollars. To a player with zero MLB service time.

If that doesn't tell you everything about where baseball is headed, I don't know what will.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, this would be the biggest contract ever for a player who hasn't thrown a single pitch or taken a single at-bat in the major leagues. And reportedly, there's "a chance to get done."

Let's put this in perspective. The Pirates have had a payroll ranking in the bottom third of baseball for years. They've traded away stars. They've let homegrown talent walk in free agency. They've asked fans to trust the process while fielding teams that had no business competing.

And now? Now they're about to drop nine figures on a prospect.

This is either the smartest move the Pirates have made in a generation, or it's going to be a cautionary tale that gets told in front offices for the next 20 years. There's no in-between.

Here's the thing about Griffin - by all accounts, he's the real deal. The kind of five-tool talent that scouts salivate over. The kind of player who makes general managers lose sleep worrying that another team is going to swoop in and steal him.

But he's never faced major league pitching. He's never dealt with the grind of a 162-game season. He's never been pitched around, shifted against, or had his swing dissected by every pitching coach in the league.

That's a lot of money for a lot of unknowns.

What makes this particularly fascinating is what it says about Pittsburgh's desperation - and I mean that in the best way possible. The Pirates know their reputation. They know fans are tired of losing. They know they need to make a splash.

So they're not waiting for Griffin to prove himself in the majors. They're not trying to get him on the cheap while he's under team control. They're putting their money where their mouth is and betting on the future .