On Tuesday, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr signed a significant extension with the Royals. He signed an 11-year deal worth over $288.7 million guaranteed, easily the longest and richest contract in Royals club history.
The deal also includes a three-year, $89 million team option, which would drive the value up to more than $377 million and keep Witt Jr with the team through the 2037 season.
He will receive $2 million this year, and then in three years, he will be eligible for arbitration: $7 million in 2025, $13 million in 2026, and $19 million in 2027. After that, Witt Jr. will earn $30 million in 2028 and $35 million each of the next two years.
Then there is some flexibility built into the contract: Witt has four player options at $35 million annually from 2031-34, allowing him to redo his deal with Kansas City or test free agency. The Royals' three-year team option follows and would pay $33 million in 2035 and $28 million each in 2036 and the concluding year.
The Royals' previous record contract was a four-year, $82 million deal given to All-Star catcher Salvador Perez.
Witt Jr batted .276, 30 HR, and 96 RBI in 2023.
He is one of my favorite stars in baseball, and I can't wait to see what this guy does in the years to come.
If you pay a player a lot of money, hopefully, it will pay off in the end because this kid is terrific and will have to play at a high level to help the Royals better in the future.
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