The Table Setter, Feb. 6, 2024: Keep Your Witts About You, Junior

[Cody Schoenmann]

Join us on your coffee break for thoughts on Bobby Witt Jr.'s extension, whether a similar deal would make sense for Royce Lewis, and the state of the AL Central, on today's gloomy yet reflective table setter.

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

At 12:06 PM Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the Kansas City Royals and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. have agreed on an 11-year, $288.7-million extension, including player opt-outs in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and 10th years. Witt's deal also includes a club option after the 11th season that would tack on an extra three years and $89 million, meaning the deal could max out at 14 years and $377 million.

Admittedly, I love this move for Witt and the Royals, and earlier this offseason, I predicted the 23-year-old phenom would win the AL MVP award this upcoming season.

(I'm not self-promoting; I just want to show that I'm not lying.)

Will Witt's extension and the immense number of signings and trades the Royals have executed this offseason propel them ahead of the Twins, Guardians, or even the Tigers in the AL Central standings in 2024? Probably not, but you can't knock them for trying. You can, on the other hand, knock them for making flawed moves. Who in the name of Nick Punto is signing Adam Frazier to a $4.5-million contract in 2024?

Either way, as highlighted by writer Cody Christie in his most recent piece at Twins Daily, most Twins fans are increasingly frustrated by the Royals being as aggressive as the Twins, or even more so. Angst and dread are the ethos of a Minnesota sports fan, so this response is more than fitting, and I get it; I am bitter, too. So, why don't we act like any other rational person would and make Witt Jr.'s extension about ourselves?

When scouring the Twins major and minor league rosters, the player who makes the most sense to get a Witt-esque contract is none other than Royce Lewis. Sir, not only do you rake, but you are also worth more money than you are getting paid now. What could an extension look like? Less than what Witt got, but in the same ballpark. Lewis, 24, is only one year older than Witt Jr., and while injuries have plagued the early part of his MLB career, there is reason to suspect he is beyond that unfortunate double blip.

Scott Boras represents Lewis, so contract length would be crucial in extension negotiations. Still, I could realistically see the Junipero Serra Catholic High School product netting an eight-year, $190 million contract with player and club options sprinkled in. I doubt Lewis will get a contract extension this offseason, but if he can put together a healthy season while producing at the rate he did in 58 games last season, he could net the richest contract in franchise history. 

There is no reason to get ahead of ourselves (this is a hypothetical situation, after all), but it is fun to talk about nonetheless. Also, the whole point of the Table Setter is to spark discussion in the comment section. Before I hand the metaphorical mic over to you, some other occurrences occurred on what was a heady day in MLB.

Other Pertinent MLB Notes

• The San Francisco Giants acquired left-handed pitcher Ethan Small from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations. All offseason, the Giants were swinging around significant cash considerations to prized free agents Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but in the end, their efforts came up small, literally.
• In response, the Brewers and pitcher Jakob Junis agreed to a one-year, $7-million deal, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Junis pitched for the Giants in 2023 in a hybrid starter/reliever role. Look for recently acquired Anthony DeSclafani to fill a similar role for the Twins this season.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers traded left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to the New York Yankees for 30-year-old relief pitcher Matt Gage and minor-league right-handed pitcher Christian Zazueta. Immediately after, the Dodgers spent the money saved from parting ways with the under-appreciated Ferguson to re-sign reliever Ryan Brasier to a two-year, $9-million contract. 
• Cincinnati native Josh Harrison netted a minor-league deal with his hometown Reds.

What are your thoughts on Witt's extension? Should the Twins extend Lewis in response? Does the Giants' acquisition of Small or the Brewers' signing Junis pique your interest? What do you make of the Dodgers flipping Ferguson to the Yankees to re-sign Brasier? Do you have a favorite memory of Harrison as we head toward the conclusion of his MLB career? Join the discussion and comment below.

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[Dman]

Given what I have seen Buxton become I would be very hesitant to go real long term with Lewis.  I don't see the Twins extending him, but playing a full year would go a long way toward making a deal more realistic.  We will have to wait and see how the legend of Lewis turns out.

I do love what the Royals did extending Witt.  It is not going to be fun playing against them with him in the lineup.  KC has some pieces but they don't seem to have the pitching that the rest of the central has so it might take some time before they get there.  This season should be interesting.

[DJL44]

The Twins are doubtful to sign anyone long-term because they don't have a long-term TV deal. They don't want to take the risk that people stop watching baseball on television completely or a meteor destroys Target Field. That could cause future financial distress like having to borrow $1M from their own bank, paying it back with interest paid for by Minneapolis taxpayers.

[Brandon]

I like that the Royals are putting real effort into fixing their team.  Their player development only got a few players developed with too many failing.  It’s good for their fans too.  They should have more young talent then they do but atleast they lock theirs up.  I guess they recognize that this wave isn’t going to get them over the top but they are trying to see if they can squeak into the playoffs and see what happens atleast once with this current group of players.

[tony&rodney]

Agree with Dman, an extension for Royce Lewis is premature. I also don't believe we can compare Lewis to Witt Jr. I get the excitement and strenuous wishing for Royce to have an All Star season because I sure hope he does .... this year. We might be projecting a little much for our third baseman.

[Nashvilletwin]

18 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I like that the Royals are putting real effort into fixing their team.  Their player development only got a few players developed with too many failing.  It’s good for their fans too.  They should have more young talent then they do but atleast they lock theirs up.  I guess they recognize that this wave isn’t going to get them over the top but they are trying to see if they can squeak into the playoffs and see what happens atleast once with this current group of players.

Let’s not go overboard on the sudden munificence of KC’s ownership. They have a big vote coming up on increased sales taxes to fund a new downtown stadium.  Sound familiar? Witt=Mauer.  It’s a business model that the small/mid market teams see fit to apply every 25 years or so. Nothing wrong with that - I’m glad the Twins did it; smart move. 

[tony&rodney]

9 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Let’s not go overboard on the sudden munificence of KC’s ownership. They have a big vote coming up on increased sales taxes to fund a new downtown stadium.  Sound familiar? Witt=Mauer.  It’s a business model that the small/mid market teams see fit to apply every 25 years or so. Nothing wrong with that - I’m glad the Twins did it; smart move. 

Good comparison, Witt Jr. - Mauer, even if Mauer was substantially more established and close to free agency.

The entire conversation about the potential new stadium for the Kansas City royals is hard to pin down in terms of numbers. I have read five separate articles with different numbers of cost and ownership contribution. The owner would like a swath of area to develop similar to what occurred in Atlanta. Why wouldn't he? The owner has allegedly been said to promise $200-350 million toward the stadium with taxes paying the remainder. When one takes into consideration a 40 year payment plan, the owner's payments of $5-9 million a year seem laughable in consideration of the annual value accrued by him. Whatever, let the voter's decide. At least if the citizens vote for the tax it is a fair deal unlike the charade unfolding in Las Vegas.

[Ricky Vaughn]

I don't think Boras would go for it. He bets on his players, and will want to see a couple big years. Then he will go for the big bucks. Don't think the Twins should do it until he shows some durability.

[wombat28]

Most complete player I've seen since Puckett. Two fluke injuries shouldn't scare off signing him long term now. Wait and Boras knows the LA and NY teams are drooling with their checkbooks open.

[CoachDW]

I am also in the camp of "it's too soon to extend" Royce Lewis. Both Royce Lewis and Bobby Witt are special talents, but Witt is a full year younger than Lewis and went from a 20 HR/30 SB rookie year to a monstrous 30HR/49 SB sophomore campaign. Witt has already chalked up over 1,300 plate appearances in the big leagues while being very durable, playing in 150 & 158 games in his two seasons. Lewis has "sky-is-the-limit" potential, and had a breakout half-season last year, but he only has 280 total big league plate appearances and has played a total of only 70 games due to injury, which is a concern. In my experience, players who are injury-prone tend to remain injury prone, and freakish injuries or not, in his career Lewis has certainly been bitten by the injury bug. If Lewis can play a full season without a major injury and continue to put up numbers like he did last year, an extension might certainly be justified, but for now -- I want to see Lewis make a believer out of me in 2024.