Royals just gave the Reds the blueprint for long-term success (again)

When you operate on a tight budget like the Cincinnati Reds, you need to not only be frugal but prudent. Every dollar counts, and a little bit of waste here and there can be disastrous for your chances at building a consistently competitive roster.

Thinking outside the box, therefore, is crucial. Sometimes, going the unorthodox route will save you so much more in the long run. In certain cases, the unorthodox route works so well that it becomes common practice.

That’s where we’re at these days with small-market clubs and long-term extensions for pre-arbitration players, and the Kansas City Royals are showing the Reds how it’s done once again by locking up Maikel Garcia to a five-year $57.5 million extension.

The Reds lag behind the Royals and other small-market clubs when it comes to handing out early career extensions for their stars

Garcia’s 2025 campaign saw him reach another stratosphere, as the slick fielding speedster found his bat for the first time in his career and put up an eye-popping 5.6 fWAR season. Surely, had the Royals waited another year to ensure he repeats that level of performance, the price tag would skyrocket.

This isn’t the first time the Royals have done this. The prime example is the massive 11-year, $288.7 million extension they gave Bobby Witt Jr. in February of 2024. While that’s a ton of money, Witt was on pace to be one of baseball’s next $500-plus million men had Kansas City not locked him up early.

It’s not just the Royals who fancy this strategy, either. You have the Milwaukee Brewers, who quickly extended Jackson Chourio. The Boston Red Sox wasted no time in securing Roman Anthony’s services for the long haul. The Baltimore Orioles immediately gave Samuel Basallo long-term security when he made his debut last summer.

There’s certainly a line between being too aggressive to the point of being wasteful and too passive to the point of a player pricing himself out of your budget, but these extensions are typically well below market rates and give you some wiggle room to get out of.

One example where the Reds have done this is Hunter Greene. Greene’s injury history made it a little risky, but six-years, $53 milliion for a guy who, when healthy, is one of the most dominant aces in baseball is an absolute steal.

And as we’ve seen, in the worst-case scenario, you have a highly in-demand trade chip, giving you both an easy way out of the contract and the opportunity to replenish the depth.

Cincinnati needs to embrace this philosophy more often, especially with its position players. They’ve likely already missed the boat on signing Elly De La Cruz at a discount. Noelvi Marte should be a player they keep a close eye on this upcoming season, and not hesitate to pull the trigger if he shows growth.

Lastly, when the next wave of prospects comes, Nick Krall and company need to be more liberal with the extension trigger finger. Doing so will only keep the core together longer and save the Reds the money necessary to add complementary pieces to it in the long run. The extension trend is here for a reason, and it’s time that the Reds ride the wave.