The Kansas City Royals made waves over the weekend by re-signing All-Star starting pitcher Cole Ragans to a team-friendly three-year extension, securing one of the sport's best hurlers at a discount.
At an average of a little over $4 million per year, this deal might be the best contract any organization secured this offseason. Ragans is a dominant starter and signaled that he believes in the direction of this franchise by agreeing to a paltry salary by relative standards. General manager J.J. Picollo is building something special in Kansas City and players are clearly buying what he's selling.
With Ragans and Bobby Witt Jr. locked up for the foreseeable future, the Royals' next move is obvious. It's time to give a beloved, home-grown player the extension he deserves.
Nice sequence between Cole Ragans and Vinnie Pasquantino at #Royals camp. pic.twitter.com/eKunR8zRFZ
— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) February 15, 2025
Royals Need to Extend Vinnie Pasquantino as Soon as Possible
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is the obvious "next man up" to receive a contract extension. Only 27 years old, Pasquantino had career-best numbers in 2024 with 19 home runs, 97 RBI, and 40 walks in 131 games.
While he missed the final month of the season with an injury, he's popular in the clubhouse and embodies what Kansas City wants out of its athletes. With weekly radio appearances and a budding social media presence, he has quickly impressed fans with his play and shown an affable personality that fans have received well.
He's making only $800,000 this year. The Royals don't need to offer an extension, but it would be a huge step in the right direction to prove this is a player-friendly franchise that takes care of its guys. Pasquantino is a building block for the future and deserves to be paid like it.
Owner John Sherman has shown a willingness to spend. He wants to build a contender and offering Pasquantino a new contract would signal to free agents that Kansas City means business. Pasquantino ranked in the 96th percentile in whiff rate and strikeout percentage, seemingly always putting together quality at-bats to help the rest of the guys in the lineup.
This is an easy decision. By locking Ragans up at a relative discount, the Royals have given themselves some money to play with. Pasquantino needs to stay with the franchise and can help serve as one of the bridge players who fans love while Salvador Perez ages. This would be a move that connects the past, present, and future, and it'd benefit both sides in a major way.
Picollo has done a tremendous job of building this roster. Now it's time to reward someone like Pasquantino who has more than earned a pay raise.