How Bobby Witt Jr.’s Royals contract compares to record $765 million deal for Juan Soto
Major League Baseball superstar Juan Soto shifted the baseball landscape after agreeing to a landmark free-agent contract with the New York Mets.
Soto, 26, agreed to a 15-year deal worth $765 million. It’s the largest deal in MLB history and includes a reported $75 million signing bonus.
And it was well deserved. Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs and 108 RBIs in 157 games with the New York Yankees. He is a four-time All-Star and has won five Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger awards.
In 2020, Soto won the National League batting title. He’s also finished top-5 in MVP voting three times in his career.
Soto is regarded as one of the top young players in the league. His combination of elite power and keen plate discipline is valuable. He is a difference maker who can transform any MLB lineup.
Sound familiar?
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. is on a similar trajectory. Witt, 24, won his first batting title and made his first All-Star appearance this season. He became the first player to have consecutive 30-30 campaigns in his first three seasons. Witt also added a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger to his résumé.
And ... he will remain with the Royals for the foreseeable future after — last offseason — he inked a 14-year deal with 11 years guaranteed at a value of $288.7 million.
Here is a breakdown of the two contracts.
Soto will have an average annual value (AAV) of $51 million per season. He also has no deferred money and a potential opt-out built into the contract. Meanwhile, Witt had his arbitration bought out the next three seasons. He will see an increase in salary that reaches the $30 million plateau when he is 28 years old.
The AAV of Witt’s contract is $26.2 million per Spotrac. He also has potential opt-outs beginning in the 2031 season. There are club options from 2035-2037 that the Royals could exercise at the back end of the deal.
Both deals are on a different spectrum. The Mets are a big-market team with the infrastructure to spend big in free agency. There were reports that multiple clubs, such as the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, were willing to spend in the $700 million range.
A year later, Witt’s deal is looking like a strategic move. Soto and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reset the market for superstar players. Both have signed $700 million contracts in consecutive offseasons.
Prior to those deals, the largest MLB contract was Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who signed a 12-year deal worth $426.5 million.
Witt has a chance to achieve similar success in the upcoming years. He already has a top-2 finish in MVP voting and is ascending with the Royals. The club continues to build around his talent and in 2024 made the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
As MLB contracts continue to surge, the Royals have one of the best young players in the league remaining in Kansas City — and on a favorable deal.
