Current:Home > FinanceShortstop Bobby Witt Jr. agrees to massive $288.8M contract extension with Royals-LoTradeCoin
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. agrees to massive $288.8M contract extension with Royals
View Date:2024-12-23 16:21:24
The Kansas City Royals have made shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. the highest-paid player in franchise history.
The team announced Monday that Witt agreed to an 11-year contract extension, with three additional team options that could keep him in a Royals uniform through the 2037 season.
A person with direct knowledge of the details confirmed to USA TODAY Sports the initial 11-year pact will be worth just under $288.77 million (approximately $26.25 million AAV), with an additional $89 million possible if all three options are exercised. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the contract were not released publicly.
Witt also has the ability to opt out of the contract each year from 2030 to 2033.
Witt, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft, had a breakout year in 2023, his first full season as Kansas City's everyday shortstop. He hit .276 with 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases — and finished seventh in the American League MVP voting.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
Witt, 23, is the son of former major league pitcher Bobby Witt, who played 16 seasons with seven different teams and won a World Series ring in his final year as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Contributing: Bob Nightengale
veryGood! (8)
Related
- COINIXIAI Introduce
- Harry Styles mourns One Direction bandmate Liam Payne: 'My lovely friend'
- Harris and Trump target Michigan as both parties try to shore up ‘blue wall’ votes
- Chiefs owner 'not concerned' with Harrison Butker PAC for 'Christian voters'
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- Georgia state government cash reserves keep growing despite higher spending
- 'Ghosts' Season 4 brings new characters, holiday specials and big changes
- Canceling your subscription is about to get a lot easier thanks to this new rule
- 'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
- Alabama to execute man for killing 5 in what he says was a meth-fueled rampage
Ranking
- Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
- Woman dies 2 days after co-worker shot her at Santa Monica College, police say
- Why Erik Menendez Blames Himself for Lyle Menendez Getting Arrested
- One Direction's Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson & Zayn Malik Break Silence on Liam Payne Death
- How Saturday Night Live Reacted to Donald Trump’s Win Over Kamala Harris
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib accuses Kroger of using facial recognition for future surge pricing
- CVS Health CEO Lynch steps down as national chain struggles to right its path
- WNBA Finals, Game 4: How to watch New York Liberty at Minnesota Lynx
Recommendation
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
-
Paulson Adebo injury update: Saints CB breaks femur during 'Thursday Night Football' game
-
Parkland shooting judge criticizes shooter’s attorneys during talk to law students
-
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the US rises to the highest level in 8 weeks
-
Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
-
Asian American evangelicals’ theology is conservative. But that doesn’t mean they vote that way
-
AP Week in Pictures: Global
-
Liam Payne's death devastates Gen Z – even those who weren't One Direction fans