Bobby Witt Jr. drops 2-word reaction to Cole Ragans’ $13,250,000 Royals extension

On Friday, reports emerged that the Kansas City Royals and starting pitcher Cole Ragans had agreed to a contract extension. Per sources, Ragans has signed a three-year, $13.25 million contract to extend his stint at Kauffman Stadium through to the 2027 season.

The reports were soon confirmed by the Royals themselves, as they took to Instagram to give fans the news. In reaction, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. shared the post to his story, as he expressed his excitement of continuing to share the dressing room with Ragans.

"Let's go!!! @coleragans" Bobby Witt Jr. captioned his Instagram story

Screenshot of Bobby Witt Jr.'s Instagram story (Image from - Instagram.com/@bwitter7 IG Stories)

Initially joining Kansas City from the Texas Rangers before the trade deadline back in 2023, the 27-year-old has established himself as one of the most reliable arms in the Royals' pitching staff. Having enjoyed a strong 2024 campaign, finishing the regular season with an 11-9 win/loss record, a 3.14 ERA and 223 total strikeouts, it is safe to say most Royals fans will be happy to see the ace extend.

Owing to his consistent performances, Ragans finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting for the 2024 season. Per sources, his new contract also includes a clause that increases his salary by an extra $500,000 in the last year of his deal (2027), if he makes a significant step up and actually wins the award in either the 2025 or 2026 season.

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Cole Ragans looks to improve in the new season, expresses love for his team

Shortly after agreeing to his new deal with the Royals, left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans made an appearance on 'MLB Tonight,' as he talked about his goals for the new season.

According to Ragans, some of the key aspects he is looking to improve on in 2025 are his longevity and efficiency when on the mound.

"Two hundred innings is a pretty cool thing to say you’ve done, so that would be a cool thing to do," he said. "Just getting to the next batter. Where it’s not always 3-2, long counts, and eliminate those four innings, 90-pitch outings every now and then."

Cole Ragans in action against the New York Yankees - Source: Getty

Also, Cole Ragans went on to talk about how he loves working with his coaches and teammates day in, day out, over the course of a long season.

"It’s fun to be around everybody here," Ragans said. "The guys that J.J. (Picollo), (manager Matt Quatraro), (assistant GM) Scott (Sharp), (CEO/chairman) Mr. (John)hSherman have talked about and brought in are unbelievable baseball players and unbelievable human beings.

"And it’s exciting to be around. I’m looking forward for what’s to come. It’s easy to show up and play for those guys in there. I love Kansas City."

Heading into the new season, Royals fans will be hoping Ragans can continue on the upward trajectory he has been on over the past few years, and help his team go deep into the postseason in 2025.