Yes, He's Expensive, But... Why The Kansas City Royals Should Sign Bo Bichette

[Kerry Flanagan]

In February of 2024, the typically small market-minded Kansas City franchise committed to the richest contract in franchise history when they signed Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year, $289 million contract. At an AAV of $26.25 million per season, the signing represented a commitment not just to Witt but also to the fanbase and to winning in general. At the time of the signing, Witt made it clear that he wanted to stay in Kansas City for his whole career, as his favorite players, Derek Jeter (Yankees) and Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox), did growing up. He also made it clear that, like his idols, he wanted to win. After the 2023 season, the Royals had invested $109 million in free agency, bringing in Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha among others, and this spending spree by Royals standards was apparently key in demonstrating the commitment to winning that Witt wanted to see from the Royals before signing his extension.

At the time of the signing, JJ Picollo was quoted as saying, “When you’re as talented as he is, the finances will take care of themselves. But he was talking about the culture of winning. That really resonated with [Royals owner John Sherman] and me and was probably the driving factor when we got to the finish line that we had done some things that showed we wanted to win.”
Witt will be around until at least 2030, and after a trip to the playoffs in 2024, followed by a disappointing 2025 season in which the Royals barely cracked .500, the clock is ticking. The open question facing Picollo is “how does a franchise unable to match the big spenders surround a generational superstar like Witt with enough talent to be a perennial championship contender?”

A pitching staff that was unusually healthy in 2024 more than made up for it in 2025. However, injuries to each of the original starting 5 revealed surprising organizational depth in Noah Cameron, Stephen Kolek, and Ryan Bergert. The bullpen was solid if not spectacular, ranking sixth best in ERA at 3.63. No, despite the injuries, the problem was clearly the offense, specifically the numerous black holes in the lineup once opposing pitchers got past Witt, Garcia, Pasquantino, and Perez. Other than trade deadline acquisitions Adam Frazier and Mike Yastrzemski, no other Royals regulars aside from the big four above were even league-average hitters (100 OPS+). Most egregiously, Opening Day outfielders MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe had a -10 and 37 OPS+, respectively. Ouch. Jonathan India fared slightly better only in comparison, with his mediocre 89 OPS+ offset by atrocious defense at whatever position the Royals tried him at, resulting in a replacement-level WAR of 0.4.

Clearly, the Royals need better production from the outfield. Free agent options Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger headline an otherwise uninspiring list of candidates. Tucker is too expensive (12 years, $420 million), and Bellinger is likely headed back to the Yankees; his batted ball metrics aren’t exactly in line with his salary expectations. There may be a few contributors to be found on the outfield free agent market, but nobody affordable who moves the needle in a big way. There is reasonable hope for Jac Caglianone in right field. His destruction of minor league pitching, his eye-popping max exit velocities, and his tape measure home runs make it at least reasonable to think he may overcome his rookie jitters and be a solid contributor, and perhaps more.
Who is out there at a position of need and would move the offensive needle in a big way?

Bo Bichette. Consensus estimates put him at an eight-year contract of roughly $200 million. Steep but manageable. Bichette will turn just 28 in March and can flat-out hit. Other than an injury-marred 2024 season, he’s been roughly 25% better than league average offensively. His below-average defense at shortstop would presumably be better at 2B, a position he first played in the playoffs this year after returning from a knee injury. There are only a few players with a realistic shot at more than 200 hits in 2026. Bichette and Witt are two of them. Plug Bichette in at second base and at the top of the lineup, followed by Witt, Garcia, Pasquantino, Perez, a much-improved Caglianone, Carter Jensen, and some affordable outfield contributors like Yastrzemski, Rob Refsnyder, Adolis Garcia, or Harrison Bader, and the 2026 lineup starts to look way scarier than 2025.

The alternative is the trade market for outfielders and rolling with India at second base. The Royals have two starters who are 34 or older, and another who has never pitched more than 130 innings in a season. Kris Bubic, with his single year of control left, isn’t enough value to land a big bat. Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran straight up for Cole Ragans isn’t enough. Ragans has rare stuff. If he stays healthy and puts it all together consistently from a command and execution standpoint, he can win a Cy Young. Unfortunately, Ragans is coming off an injury-marred season in which his ERA greatly exceeded his FIP. Trading him now is potentially trading him at a low point in his value.

With a new stadium decision arriving soon and the clock ticking on the best player the Royals have had since George Brett, 2026 is a critical juncture for the Royals. Sal will likely be gone in two years, freeing up significant salary space. It's win now time. Adding Bichette would give the Royals long-term fits in what would be one of the premier infields in baseball and would go a long way in giving the franchise what it hasn’t had in a very long time: a team that can compete for championships perennially.

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