Royals GM working on Witt extension: 'We want to keep special players'

The Kansas City Royals are interested in signing star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a contract extension, and it looks like the 23-year-old would be interested in staying with the organization that drafted him.

"We are working on that," Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said, according to The Kansas City Star's Jaylon Thompson. "I don't really want to comment on it more than that (it's) a goal of ours. It would be exciting to do so, as he is a special player. We want to keep special players in our uniform."

Witt, who hit 30 home runs and stole 49 bases for the Royals in 2023, confirmed the two sides are discussing a deal, and he's just waiting for something to get done.

"I think there is some talks here and there, so we're just kind of waiting to see," Witt said. "I love this organization and love this team. It's just kind of one of those things. If the time is right, the time's right."

Witt isn't set to hit free agency until 2028 and won't be arbitration-eligible for the first time until 2025. Should the native Texan ink a long-term contract, he'd join a group of budding MLB superstars who've agreed to similar pacts early in their careers.

The Seattle Mariners and Julio Rodríguez agreed to a 12-year deal in August 2022, while the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Corbin Carroll to an eight-year pact in March.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves have a pattern of locking up core pieces early in their careers, committing to stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Spencer Strider with long-term contracts before they turned 23 years old.