SEATTLE — The best minor leaguer in the Seattle Mariners organization will stay in the Pacific Northwest for the next eight (potentially nine) years.

On Tuesday, news broke that the Mariners had agreed to terms with top prospect Colt Emerson (No. 7 MLB Pipeline top 100) on an eight-year, $95 million contract through the 2033 season with a club option for a ninth year in 2034. The deal includes escalators that can increase the value to $130 million.

The deal is a historic one for the sport at large. It's the most money for a player in MLB history who has zero service time. Emerson, who's currently assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, has yet to record any playing in the majors.

Ahead of a game against the New York Yankees on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, M's president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke with the media about the unprecedented deal.

"You have to be a good player to garner this type of interest, this type of contract," Dipoto said Tuesday. "But you also have to be the type of person. At 20-years-old, you can say, over the course of the next nine years, 'we trust you to go do this.' And if you spent any time around Colt, you know that he checks every one of those boxes. He's such a humble, mature, well-thought-out human. I said to him when I spoke to him earlier today, this is (partly) about (being) an impact player. It's just as much about him being an impact person."

Emerson, who was picked 22nd overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, entered this spring with a legitimate opportunity to make the Opening Day roster for the first time in his career.

The 20-year-old, who mainly plays shortstop, registered most of his time in Cactus League competition at third base. He finished the spring with a slash line of .268/.340/.488 with an .828 OPS in 18 games and hit a double, a triple and two home runs with eight RBIs.

Most of the reaction to the deal from fans and analysts has been varying levels of shock. There's been some concern over how Emerson receiving a contract of this caliber before making his debut could go over with clubhouse veterans.

Dipoto and manager Dan Wilson (the latter of whom spoke to the media in a pregame scrum Tuesday) didn't anticipate that being a concern.

"I think Colt is universally respected downstairs for how he goes about his business," Dipoto said. "Who he is as a person, the respect he has for his teammates, the way he prepares and his thoughtfulness, you can't not appreciate that. And I know his teammates do. He got rave reviews from the veteran players in the spring."

If there was a thought the hefty financial commitment will result in an imminent call-up for the Ohio native, Dipoto made it clear that's not the case.

Currently, Seattle has Leo Rivas starting at shortstop and Cole Young starting at second. The team's usual starting shortstop, JP Crawford, will begin a rehab assignment with the Rainiers on Tuesday. He's currently on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation and is expected to be back with the team in the next week.

Crawford will play shortstop for Tacoma and Emerson will play third base for the Triple-A club against the El Paso Chihuahuas at 6:05 p.m. PT on Tuesday at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash.

Dipoto stated that the team still plans for Crawford to be the team's starting shortstop going forward. The executive also didn't rule out being creative with the lineup to create a runway for Emerson. The versatility of major league third baseman Brendan Donovan could assist with that.

"This signing was more about the long term than it is about this season," Dipoto said. "How it all fits, especially with Leo being the only one who hits from the right side, is a little more complicated. But I think that's where Brendan Donovan's versatility plays a huge part in what we're doing. ... He (allows) us to do a lot of creative things with the other players on the field. We didn't want to start Cole's rise, his ascension to a premium position. We didn't want to stop Colt from making an impact when he's ready to make an impact. ... These are good problems to have when you have good players all over the diamond. Now we have to find creative ways to make it work and I do think (Donovan's) versatility could potentially play a big part in that."

Dipoto said that the team is in "no rush" to bring up Emerson. The executive clarified he does anticipate Emerson making an impact this season.

As for Emerson himself, he opted to forego a news conference discussing the new deal to play for the Rainiers on Tuesday. He instead put out a statement, which was shared in a post on "X" from Seattle Times reporter Adam Jude.

"I am excited to play for the Mariners for a really long time," Emerson said. "The people in the organization, including my teammates, the staff, and the Seattle fans are a big reason why my family and I love being here and want to stay here."

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