Bobby Witt Jr. Contract Breakdown, Looking at Royals Star’s Historic Deal

Open your history books, the 2023-24 offseason has added another chapter under its name. It’s amazing how extreme this offseason is turning out to be. On one hand, less than 80 free agents have signed a deal in this slow market, but then again multiple players have broken records. This time it is the Kansas City Royals and their young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. who have signed perhaps the most surprising deal of the year.

Witt Jr. was one of the biggest highlights of 2023. Despite playing in a team that won only 56 games, Witt Jr. showed that with time he had the potential to compete with the biggest of MVPs. As a result, the Royals were quite desperate to extend their stay. They did just that and it cost them just a meagre sum of $288.7 million! But that’s so not the end of this story. 

The Kansas City breaks the bank

Despite winning the World Series in 2015, the Royals aren’t huge spenders. The entry of Bobby Witt Jr. had given a newfound air of enthusiasm to the Kauffman Stadium. So the desperation of the Crowns was palpable, the Crowns had spent this entire offseason convincing Witt Jr. that they could create a winning team for him. They succeeded and broke their record in the process.

The previous highest contract ever given by the Royals was Salvador Perez’s 4-year $82 million extension in 2021! They’ve essentially quadrupled that record. While the deal with Witt Jr. is 11 years for $288.7 million, the team has the option to extend it to three more years for $89 million. So eventually the size of that deal becomes $377.7 million. The contract is littered with opt-outs. 

From 2030 to 2033, Bobby Witt Jr. can opt out after every season. But if he chooses not to, only then can the team trigger than option of extension. The 23-year-old will also get a $7.7777 million signing bonus and his salary will be structured in the following manner.   

2024 – $2m

2025 – $7m

2026 – $13m

2027 – $19m

2028 – $30m

2029 to 34 – $35m per year

2035 – $33m

2036-37 – $28m 

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This contract is historical in more than one way not just for the Royals but the league as well.

History beckons for Bobby Witt Jr.

This is the second-largest contract ever signed by a player pre-arbitration. Behind only Fernando Tatis Jr’s 14-year $340 million but the AAV of this Witt Jr. exceeds Tatis’s deal by $2 million. With this plus Jackson Chourio’s $82 million deal with the Brewers, it’s looking like teams are becoming more open to extending their youngsters to massive long-term deals. 

This certainly is an interesting trend, especially as it shows the huge confidence that the franchises have in their players. Maybe this deal could be the peak of that trend or maybe things are just getting started. Either way, at this juncture, the future of Witt Jr. looks very bright.

Read more: “It Was Just a Blast”- Kansas City Royals Star Bobby Witt Jr. Smashes First Career Home Run in MLB