NEWSLETTER
There were rumors of renewed extension talks between the Kansas City Royals and star young shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and it looks like they’ve come to fruition.
As expected, the deal is massive. But it’s even more massive than I thought massive would be in this case:
Witt, 23, was the second overall pick in 2019, and debuted in 2022 with the Royals. He broke out last year, opening a lot of eyes defensively at shortstop (the advanced defensive metrics agree), and hitting .276/.319/.495/115 wRC+. That was worth 5.7 WAR, and made Witt one of the best players overall in 2023.
So, yeah, he was always going to get paid if he extended. But he was still a year out from arbitration, and four years out from free agency. So to get nearly $300 million locked down this early in his career? You can’t argue with him taking the check.
You especially can’t argue with it when you see the structure of the deal.
Per Passan’s writeup, Bobby Witt Jr. not only got that monster guarantee, he also got opt-outs after years seven, eight, nine, AND ten. Much of the second half of this deal is all player options. So if Witt wants to hit free agency at age 30, or 31, etc., he is going to have the opportunity to do it. The Royals get a three-year club option after the deal’s nominal initial term, worth $89 million (so the total would be 14 years and about $377 million). I would say Witt got the better end of the options stick.
Putting all of this another way, Witt has guaranteed himself almost $300 million, while the Royals have guaranteed themselves only three additional years of team control (and at a very high price tag, too). I get why the Royals wanted to do this, and maybe it winds up working out very well for them. But on the whole, this looks like an extremely player-friendly contract. Good get for Witt.
Also? Good job by Witt’s agent … his father, Bobby Witt Sr.
