Kansas City Royals rumors: Nothing doing for Bobby Witt Jr. extension yet

Numerous teams around the majors have been locking their young stars up to long term extensions. Not so the Kansas City Royals.

That may not change any time soon. According to Josh Vernier of 610 Sports Radio, the Royals are in “the very infantile stages” of discussions for an extension with Bobby Witt Jr.

Nothing changing with Kansas City Royals approach thus far

The Royals have not necessarily been adverse to extending their players. Salvador Perez is essentially going to be a member of the franchise for life. Hunter Dozier signed a four year extension which has been a complete disaster. These deals do happen in Kansas City.

However, while teams such as the Braves, Mariners, and Padres are locking in their young talent to long term deals, that is not something the Royals have typically done until later in their career. In Witt’s case, he is under team control through 2027, giving the Royals time to make such a deal happen.

However, waiting to get a deal done could end up costing the Royals even more. Witt is showing that he can be a building block for a franchise in desperate need of one, posting a solid .255/.295/.440 batting line with 20 homers and 30 doubles in his 590 plate appearances entering Sunday. He has been a weapon on the basepaths as well as he has collected 28 steals as he became the 13th player in MLB history to post a 20-20 season as a rookie.

It does make sense that the Royals are waiting. They could be making certain that this year is not a fluke and that he can be the star they need. However, if they are going to contend at any point in the near future, it will be with their young nucleus of potential stars. Locking them up will go a long way to ensuring that their future remains bright for years to come. And that starts with Witt.

The Kansas City Royals have not truly discussed an extension with Bobby Witt Jr. While they have plenty of time, they need to get a deal done sooner rather than later.