In the offseason, we don’t often hear much from the Kansas City Royals. They are known for having one of the lowest budgets in baseball. However, they recently gave out the biggest contract in the history of their franchise. It’s not common for the Royals to pay top dollar for a player, but when someone like Bobby Witt Jr. comes along, that’s what it takes. Witt and the Royals agreed to a massive 11-year extension worth $288.8 million. He will now be the face of their team for the next ten years. Bob Nightengale provided details on how Witt’s contract will pay him annually. He won’t start earning $30 million per year until the 2028 season.
Here are the yearly breakdowns of Bobby Witt Jr.’s deal:
– 2024: $2 million; $7.77 million signing bonus
– 2025: $7 million
– 2026: $13 million
– 2027: $19 million
– 2028: $30 million
– 2029: $35 million
– 2030: $35 million (opt out)
– 2031: $35 million (opt out)
– 2032: $35 million (opt out)
– 2033: $35 million (opt out)
– 2034: $35 million with a 3-year club option
– 2035: $33 million
– 2036: $28 million
– 2037: $28 million
Witt is a 23-year-old player who already has two seasons of Major League Baseball experience. He has proven to be one of the most exciting players in the sport during that time. In the previous season, he finished seventh in the American League MVP voting. This was thanks to his impressive stats: a .276 batting average, 30 home runs, 96 RBI, and 49 stolen bases. There is no doubt that Witt has established himself as one of the top performers in baseball. However, for the Royals to be competitive, they will need more than just Witt. Many fans of the Royals are hopeful that Witt’s contract will encourage the team to spend more on acquiring free agents. One effective way to quickly build a successful roster is by signing top-notch free agents. This has never been the Royals’ preferred approach, but perhaps it’s time for a change. While Witt is locked in for the foreseeable future, it remains to be seen how the Royals will handle the rest of their roster.