Cooler water was thrown on Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals after their 5-2 win. ,
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Kansas City Royals fans have been waiting for ownership to spend big ever since John Sherman purchased the team from David Glass.
This is from 2019. Five years later, Sherman is really showing a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the small-market Royals into contention in the American League Central.
The royals’ latest expenditure is their biggest ever. They agreed to terms on an 11-year contract with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on Monday that guarantees the 23-year-old $288.7 million.
The three-year team option could bring the total value to just under $377 million. This will keep Witt under contract until 2037, when he will be 37 years old.
contract is 16th-The largest deal in major-league history and the second-largest for a non-arbitration-eligible player behind the 14-year, $340-year deal that Fernando Tatis signed with the San Diego Padres last April.
Witt also easily surpassed the Royals’ previous largest overall contract, Salvador Pérez’s four-year, $82 million deal.
Witt was selected second overall by the Royals in the 2019 amateur draft. He reached the major leagues at the start of the 2022 season, then had a breakout last year when he hit 30 home runs and stole 49 bases in 158 games while batting .276/.319/.495.
Witt is also the first player in major-league history to have at least 50 homers and 79 steals in the first two years of his career.
“Since I was drafted in 2019, the entire Royals organization and fans have treated me and my family like one of their own,” Witt said in a statement released by the club. “This city and this team have felt like home since day one.”
It is now clear that Witt will be a cornerstone player for the Royals in their efforts to become contenders. Kansas City has finished .500 or worse in eight consecutive seasons since winning the World Series in 2015.
Royals general manager JJ Piccolo said, “From the day we selected him, we believed Bobby would become one of the brightest stars and greatest talents in our game.” “These past two seasons have been confirmation of that talent, and proof that he is an even better teammate. We know he wants to win for our fans as much as we do.”
Last year the Royals had a disappointing 56–106 record, finishing last in the AL Central. This was their third season of at least 103 losses in the last five complete seasons.
Witt’s contract comes after the Royals spent more than $100 million in free agency this winter. They signed right-handers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, left-handed reliever Will Smith, right-handed reliever Chris Stratton and utility players Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson.
Although the Royals finished 31 games out of first place in 2023, the division appears to be wide open this year. The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central last season with a perfect 87–75 record and were the only team to finish above .500 in the division.
Another underlying reason is that the Royals have increased their spending despite playing in the third-smallest market in Major League Baseball.
They’re trying to build a new ballpark at the beautiful, but aging Kauffman Stadium
The Royals are hoping that voters in Jackson County, Missouri will extend a sales tax that will help pay for the ballpark. The measure will be on the ballot in April and will also help fund the renovation of the NFL Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.
