When Monday started, only three teams in Major League Baseball history had yet to hand out a contract over $100 million. By 10 a.m., just the Oakland A's and Chicago White Sox were left as the Kansas City Royals signed 23-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year, $288.8 million deal. The franchise's previous high had been four years and $82 million for Salvador Perez. This is also the 15th-highest contract ever handed out in baseball history.
The A's largest contract in franchise history was the one Eric Chavez signed for six years and $66 million in 2004, before John Fisher took over ownership of the team. Last winter we took a look at the largest contracts that Fisher has agreed to in his nearly 20 years as the team's owner.
The White Sox largest contract actually came last off-season when they signed Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million deal.
Of the 14 contracts worth more than Witt's, two were handed out by the Los Angeles Dodgers this off-season when they signed Shohei Ohtani (10 years, $700 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million). The rest of the list is filled with current contracts for Mookie Betts ($365 M), Mike Trout ($360 M), Aaron Judge ($360 M), Francisco Lindor ($341 M), Fernando Tatís Jr. ($340 M), Bryce Harper ($330 M), Corey Seager ($325 M), Giancarlo Stanton ($325 M), Gerrit Cole ($324 M), Rafael Devers ($313.5 M), Manny Machado ($300 M), and Trea Turner ($300 M).
While three of those contracts belong to the Dodgers, three currently with the Yankees, and two to the Phillies, there are also big-time deals on this list being handed out by the Padres, Royals, and even Stanton's deal was agreed to when he was with the Marlins. There should be no excuse for any team not to spend if these smaller market teams are able to make it work. The A's drew 1.67 million in 2019, before the Covid season, then limited attendance due to Covid restrictions in 2021. By 2022 they had torn down the roster and the fans had had enough.
It's not like the Royals were drawing huge numbers last year, either. In fact, they ranked No. 28 in attendance with a little over 1.3 million fans coming out to the ballpark last season. They are also awaiting a judgement on what will happen to their TV rights. Kansas City is ranked No. 34 in market size among cities with sports teams, just behind Columbus. The Bay Area ranks No. 10 and Chicago is third.
There is no excuse these days to not field at least one big contract.
Setting the Sox aside, the past week has been rough on A's fans. Just a few days ago, word came down that the Baltimore Orioles had sold, which is great for them and their fan base. Then yesterday, the Royals went out and locked up a hugely talented homegrown player for the next 11 seasons. Two things that A's fans have been dreaming of for years now. The Royals are also attempting to secure public funding for a new ballpark, making this an effective way to try and sway the votes to their side and keep the team local.
Fisher has claimed that he did everything he could to keep the A's in Oakland, but signing a single player long term or investing in the roster to have an entire payroll surpass $100 million just wasn't one of those things.
Meanwhile, other owners are out here running laps around John Fisher while he struggles to produce ballpark renderings.
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