3 young MLB stars who should sign next extensions after Bobby Witt Jr. deal
By Curt Bishop
After Bobby Witt Jr. was signed to a massive contract extension with the Kansas City Royals, it's fair to wonder which young star will be next in line to receive an extension of his own.
Witt's contract is the largest in Royals history, and the young shortstop is set to be the face of the Royals franchise for years to come, as they now have somebody they can build around if they so wish.
In this piece, we will take a look at three young MLB stars who could be the next to receive long-term contract extensions with their current teams.
3. Edouard Julien, 2B, Minnesota Twins
One of the reasons the Minnesota Twins were successful in 2023 was the emergence of Edouard Julien.
The 24-year-old second baseman was drafted out of Auburn in 2019. Julien burst onto the scene early in the season and ultimately became a key piece in the Twins lineup. The slugger hit for a .263 average and popped 16 home runs with 37 RBI and an .840 OPS.
Though he didn't end up winning Rookie of the Year honors in the American League, Julien is a player with a bright future and somebody the Twins can build around for years to come. It would not be a surprise to see the Twins potentially work on an extension with the young second baseman.
Julien helped guide the Twins to their first AL Central title in a full season since 2019 and he put up some solid numbers during the Twins brief postseason run, hitting .294 with a home run and posting an impressive OPS mark of 1.043.
Julien is only getting better, and he will certainly be an interesting player to watch develop over the next few seasons as he tries to build off of his successful 2023 campaign.