Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Bundy
Witt definitely isn't re-signing in Kansas City. If her were it would have to be 10 for 400 million and we know they aren't doing that, so we can forget him.
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Gotta spin the wheel and take your chances with him.
As it stands, the Royals have already burned two years of service time (or will have by the EOY) and haven't gotten a deal done, so you may be right.
What they needed to have done was A) Wait to call him up in 2022 and then B) with 6 seasons still remaining until FA (one of them likely to be an arb4 year), leverage that into a deal.
I mean you're maybe talking $45-50 million total before he hits FA even with a Super 2 year in there?
Let's say $50 million - So you offer him a 10 year deal worth $200 million. It essentially buys you 5 years of FA eligibility at $150 million total. Sure, it's risky and expensive, but it's what teams like the Royals have to do to keep guys like that if they turn into star players.
Look at the deal the Mariners did with Rodriguez. It's a really interesting deal and sure it subjected them to risk, but it also guaranteed Rodriguez will never have to work again after his playing days are over even if he blows his arms off tomorrow. It's essentially a 7 year, $120 million deal w/ a team option for 8 years/$200+ million (depending on MVP escalators) afterwards that converts to a 5 year, $90 million player option if declined.
So Rodriguez is effectively guaranteed $170 million over 12 years with a chance to earn gobs more depending on how he performs.
Witt's agency is Octagon so it ain't Boras pulling the strings here. I feel like KC could've gotten something done. But they don't appear to have planned terribly well and their window to do so is closing fast.