Bobby Witt Jr. signed historic deal with KC Royals: How it all came together

Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman proudly sat inside the Royals Hall of Fame building. On Tuesday, he was excited to about the future of his organization.

Sherman had a good reason to celebrate. The Royals made a monumental offseason splash by signing shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a 14-year contract extension. The deal includes 11 years guaranteed at a value of $288.7 million.

“We’ve been thinking about this deal,” Sherman said. “I was dreaming about it a little bit. Since (Bobby) was 19 years old, you could see the promise and the hope. But, now we have seen it at the Major League level.”

The Royals were committed to finalizing a deal. The front office took steps to communicate with Witt’s representatives this offseason. In September, the Royals requested a meeting that brought both sides together.

The goal was simple. The Royals wanted to outline their stance and illustrate three areas in the negotiations.

“We expressed really three things at that meeting,” Sherman said. “Number one, is that we wanted to make a proposal to Bobby to keep him here for a long time. Number two, we wanted to understand what was important to him and his team. And we wanted to make sure that he knew that we were committed to putting a winning team on the field around him.”

Both sides continued to communicate. However, it wasn’t until the Winter Meetings in December that the Royals made another offer. There were counter offers as each side tried to bridge the gap in discussions.

Witt had multiple options available. He was entering his final year of pre-arbitration and could’ve elected to play out the rest of his prior contract obligations. He would’ve been able to reach free agency after the 2027 season.

Instead, Witt was intent on remaining with the Royals. He felt comfortable with the organization after being drafted second overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. Witt conveyed his biggest desire was to win and help the organization.

“It just felt like home from day one,” Witt said. “So, (I’m) just honored to be able to be here and try to help the team as much as I can.”

The Royals showed their commitment by signing key free agents this offseason. The team committed over $100 million to a veteran group that includes pitchers Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Will Smith among others.

KC also added slugger Hunter Renfroe and infielders Garrett Hampson and Adam Frazier.

Witt enjoyed the offseason moves. He shared a social media post of a brick emoji after each signing. He said the new acquisitions signaled hope in the Royals’ future plans.

“Once we got through the Winter Meetings, got going through the holidays, we felt pretty good that we were gonna be able to get to a deal,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “But we’re very fortunate that Bobby wants to be part of Kansas City, shares our vision and wants to win. That is very clear.”

Still, Picollo knew there needed to be some common ground. Witt wanted a long-term deal with flexibility. The Royals agreed to structure the deal with multiple opt-outs in place. The team also has three club options as well.

“There’s clearly a lot of flexibility on Bobby’s behalf, but we’re comfortable with that because it allowed us to sign him and acquire really the number of years that we felt very good about,” Picollo said. “So that’s where we had a way to work from both ends to get to that point, where both parties were comfortable.”

Witt emerged as a young superstar last season. He posted 30 home runs, 96 RBIs and 49 stolen bases in 158 games. After a sluggish start, Witt ignited the Royals’ offense during the second half of the season.

There were several memorable moments. In the process, Witt showed his potential on and off the field. He was revered by teammates in the clubhouse and took on a leadership role alongside Royals captain Salvador Perez.

“There’s plenty of other guys that have good influence in there,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “But for Salvy to see what Bobby is and what he stands for and how he goes about his business — and (to) earn that respect from somebody like Salvy in a short period of time — that says everything about (Witt’s) leadership.”

Witt, 23, now steps into a new role. He is entrenched as the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. It’s a position that carries a lot of responsibility while the team continues to grow.

Witt is prepared for the opportunity and ready to help bring winning baseball back to KC. He said he’s felt support, belief and trust from KC since his first day in the organization.

“And so I’ve been able to just say, I always want to just go out there, play baseball, be Bobby and go have fun,” Witt continued. “That’s kind of what I’ve done. I’ve put pressure on myself, but at times ... I don’t need to. Just go out there and be me.

“That’s where they trust me. Then, I have a great support group, not only in baseball but at home. So it’s gotten me to where I’m at today.”

The Royals are set to begin spring training in Surprise, Arizona, next week. The team will open the 2024 season at Kauffman Stadium on March 28 against the Minnesota Twins.