Whit Merrifield, Royals Reportedly Agree to 4-Year, $16.25M Contract Extension

Second baseman Whit Merrifield will reportedly remain with the Kansas City Royals for the foreseeable future.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Merrifield and the Royals agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $16.25 million with $2 million in performance bonuses. Jon Heyman of Fancred noted the extension will include a fifth-year club option that could bring the deal to more than $30 million if it is completely maxed out.

Merrifield is 30 years old but is relatively inexperienced seeing how he didn't break into the major leagues until 2016. He tallied a career-best 19 home runs in 2017 and was then one of the better offensive players in the league in 2018 when he slashed .303/.367/.438 with 12 home runs, 60 RBI and a league-best 45 stolen bases.

He led the majors with 192 hits last year, and Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star noted he joined Dee Gordon and Ichiro Suzuki as the only three players to lead the majors in hits and stolen bases in the same year since World War II.

It wasn't just his bat that stood out in 2018, though, as he played second base, first base and all three outfield spots as a versatile defender who allowed manager Ned Yost to mix-and-match the lineup on a daily basis depending on opponents and team needs.

He was also particularly impressive at second base and was responsible for eight defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

The fact that the Royals were able to lock up the player who led the majors in hits and stolen bases while playing plus defense in 2018 on a team-friendly deal is notable, especially as major free agents such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain unsigned.

Kansas City missed the playoffs the last three seasons and is looking to turn things around, and it now has Merrifield as a centerpiece to build around for the next few years.