Kansas City Royals: Whit Merrifield extension good for everyone involved
The Kansas City Royals have been mostly quiet this offseason, but they made headlines on Sunday evening by extending utility man Whit Merrifield.
When Whit Merrifield got his MLB call-up for the Kansas City Royals in 2016, fans didn’t expect much of the former South Carolina Gamecock. The then-27-year old became a fan favorite right from the get-go and finished his rookie season with a slash line of .283/.323/.392 with 29 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Merrifield has only gotten better as the years have passed and while the Royals opting to extend him is a little surprising, the move is one that most will be happy about. Merrifield has been a great player and was arguably the best position player last season.
Merrifield just turned 30 years old last Thursday and he’ll now be getting $15 million over the next four years, taking him through the age of 33.
All-Star second baseman Whit Merrifield and the Kansas City Royals have a four-year deal that will land in the $15 million range, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Press conference to announce it could come as soon as tomorrow. @jonmorosi first said it was close.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 28, 2019
Whit Merrifield has been an intriguing case as far as baseball players go. Most guys who get to the big leagues at the age of 27 probably aren’t destined for a long career, but Merrifield has made the most out of it.
He batted .288 in the 2017 season and last year had his best slash line yet, finishing the season at .303/.367/.438 with 45 stolen bases and 60 RBI. He’s only gotten better as he’s aged and the Royals had him on the cheap until the 2023 season. It would have been easy for the organization to roll with that and not reward one of their best players.
Per source to https://t.co/6TSm0LErFq, here's the Whit Merrifield breakdown in contract: $1M in 2019, $5M in 2020, $6.75M in 2021, and $2.75M in 2022 with a $750,000 buyout on club option. The club option is $10.5M in 2023. There are no PBs, but there are escalators in 2021-2022.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) January 28, 2019
Instead, they signed Two-Hit Whit to a four-year extension that’s incredibly team friendly and rewards one of their best players (see tweet above). While outsiders might see it as a 30-year old getting a four-year extension, Royals fans know what Merrifield is capable of and that he has shown little signs of slowing down.
Yes, the team is rebuilding and some might feel this money could have been used elsewhere, but if a guy wants to be in Kansas City and help a rebuilding team get better, that’s someone you want leading your squad. Merrifield is the perfect player to be the face of the Royals franchise moving forward.
Merrifield’s quick on the base paths and he also adds versatility to the diamond. He’s played at just about every position during his time with the Royals, with second base and center field being the two spots he tends to spend the most time at.
Next. Best Second Basemen in Royals History. dark
This deal is a good one for both Whit Merrifield and for the Kansas City Royals because it keeps a good player in town and won’t sink the franchise even if he does start to slow down a bit.
Royals fans – Are you cool with this extension?