Today is the best day in Royals baseball since they won the World Series in 2015. On Monday, the Kansas City Royals and Bobby Witt Jr. agreed to an 11-year contract extension, worth $288.7 million guaranteed. Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him. The Kansas City phenom is here for the future!
The massive extension also has a three-year team option after the initial eleven years, making the extension have a max total of 14 years, $377 million, which, if entirely played out, would be the third biggest contract ever. Yes, you read that right: the Royals are giving out potentially the third-richest contract ever. There’s also some security for Junior, with four potential opt-outs starting after the seventh season. This truly cements this offseason as the best in Royals history. They put the finishing touches on J.J. Picollo, John Sherman, and manager Matt Quatraro’s masterpiece.
Since he was drafted in 2019, Royals fans dreamed of the superstar that Bobby Witt Jr. would become. We now see the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come from BWJ, and now it’s guaranteed to be in Kansas City. Witt’s 2023 was his best so far, joining the selective group of players to achieve a 30/30 season before the age of 25…but with 49 stolen bases. There’s also information to prove that he’ll refine his skills even more. In 2022, Bob was bad defensively, which was weird because he had always been solid before. But in 2023, he put everything together. He made himself a reliable anchor to Maikel Garcia at third. He was in the 94% in defending shortstop. He’ll continue to rise. There was always the potential of a .300 season at the big league level for Junior, and hopefully he could achieve that during his contract here. WITH power AND speed abilities. He is THE five-tool player.
This is why it’s special to see a player of Bobby Witt Jr.’s acclaim commit to a long-term extension with his initial team. Also nice to mention that this means Junior believes in what the Royals can do and will continue to do in the future. Which, for a lot of us, we thought would be a long shot in years prior. Now, we could potentially see awards for Junior in royal blue. Playoff-lead Witt Jr. teams. Even World Series aspirations. The time for winning has come in Kansas City. And the 2024 season will be the start for that. All the talk has been that, and this move solidifies it.
As the Chiefs are playing this Super Bowl week, it’s possible that we have Patrick Mahomes to thank for this deal. I know that sounds ludicrous but look at the success that he has had in a small market. He’s turned into the NFL’s biggest star while being in KC, and that could be an attractive thing for Bobby Witt Jr. And who’s to say that he can’t do that exact same thing? Be the face of the MLB? That’s the ceiling we could see with Bobby Witt Jr. signing this mega-extension, and the best times are yet to come in KC.