Quisenberry’s $49.3-Million Package Believed the Biggest

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry is guaranteed to receive what appears to be the biggest package of any baseball player--$49.3 million in the next 41 years, a newspaper reported Friday.

Center fielder Willie Wilson is to receive a minimum of $27.01 million during that period, the Kansas City Times said.

“We never comment on the structure and the money involved in our players’ contracts,” a Royal spokesman said.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Bruce Sutter, who is to receive $44 million over the next 30 years, has what previously was considered the largest total package.

The Times said the figures for the two Royals include the $1.65 million in salary Quisenberry already was guaranteed on the final two years of his existing contract, the $750,000 salary Wilson was guaranteed for the final year of his contract, plus the “lifetime” contract extensions the two signed with the Royals April 10.

Values of the lifetime deals for both Quisenberry and Wilson can only be estimated on minimum guarantees. On an annual basis, however, those contracts are believed to be worth slightly less than the lifetime contract Royal third baseman George Brett signed last May at an average of $1.78 million a year from 1984 through 1991.

The contracts for all three also include incentives based on game appearances.

Quisenberry and Wilson are buying into a limited real estate partnership with co-owner Avron Fogelman, but it is difficult to assign a value to the packages.

If the real estate investments work out as well as Fogelman predicts, the cost to the Royals for Quisenberry’s $49.3 million will be $6.05 million, and the cost to them for Wilson’s will be $5.45 million.