Major League Baseball

Bobby Witt Jr., Royals agree to extension reportedly worth nearly $300 million

Updated Feb. 5, 2024 2:41 p.m. ET

The Royals are keeping their top young star in Kansas City for a long time to come.

Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals have agreed to an 11-year, $288.7 million extension, ESPN reported. A three-year club option could bring the total value of his contract to $377.7 million over 14 years, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported, potentially keeping him in Kansas City through the end of the 2037 season.

The team will hold a news conference on Tuesday to announce the deal.

Witt has emerged as one of the top shortstops in baseball since he made his debut in 2022. After finishing fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, the 23-year-old Witt became the first player in Royals history to enter the 30-30 club last year, when he hit 30 homers and stole 49 bases. The only other American League shortstop to accomplish the feat by Witt’s age was Alex Rodriguez in 1998.

Witt’s breakthrough season, which resulted in him landing seventh in AL MVP voting, came after he hit 20 homers and stole 30 bases as a rookie. No player in big league history has hit 50 homers and stolen 79 bases through his first two seasons.

"From the day we drafted him, we felt confident Bobby would become one of our game’s brightest stars and biggest talents," Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said in a statement. "These last two seasons have been confirmation of that talent, and proof that he’s an even better teammate. We know he wants to win here for our fans as much as we do."

While Witt has played like one of the top shortstops in baseball and has received one of the game's largest contracts, he won't receive a large payday right away. He's set to make $2 million in 2024 and $9 million in 2025 before his salary spikes up to $13 million in 2026 and $19 million in 2027, according to MLB.com.

Witt's salary will reportedly eventually climb up to $30 million in 2028 and reach its peak value of $35 million in 2029. He'll earn $35 million in 2030 before having a player option in his contract for the next four seasons, which are each worth $35 million, MLB.com. reported.

The Royals have been one of the highest-spending teams in MLB this offseason as they hope to climb out of last place in the AL Central. They've spent $109.5 million in free agency, which is the fourth-highest among all teams, per Spotrac.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.