On February 6, the Royals announced they were extending their young superstar shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr.

Witt Jr. was drafted as the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. He was looked at as the George Brett of our generation and so far he has not disappointed. Witt Jr. is a 6 ‘1, young, and athletic shortstop with a cannon for an arm and a ball magnet for a glove. At the plate, he makes a good amount of contact and can reach an exit velocity of 104 mph.

The details of the contract include a 14-year-old $377 million ceiling. The first 11 years are worth $288.8 million and then a team option in the 11th season if the Royals want to finish the remaining 3 years at $89 million. Witt Jr. has 4 opt-out options in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th year of the contract where he will choose to stay in Kansas City or take a shot at free agency. This is a good contract for both sides — if Witt Jr. is unhappy in Kansas City, he has the opportunity to leave while the Royals have him locked down for what will probably be the best 6 years of his career at a relatively low price. This is the biggest contract in the Royals’ history.

When interviewed about the contract, Witt Jr. showed great excitement for the years to come. He said the Kansas City has “felt like home from day one” and officially signing this extension had him in tears of joy.

Royals general manager JJ Picollo believes this contract will greatly improve the Royals’ trajectory over the next few seasons since “players are going to want to come and play with Bobby Witt Jr.” Owner John Sherman says the Royals have “been committed to winning for a long time,” so there is much to look forward to for the Kansas City Royals.