Wednesday was a banner day for Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia.
In a moment every baseball player dreams about at some point, Garcia signed a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension that will keep him a Royal through at least 2030. For a player who once signed for $30,000 out of Venezuela, it was a fitting achievement to cap off a breakout season.
Garcia, 25, earned his extension on the back of a near 6-WAR season that included his first All-Star selection and a Gold Glove at third base. That kind of season was necessary to ensure the Royals were comfortable extending him, and that season couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Garcia.
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Garcia first talked extension with Royals before 2024
In 2024, Garcia was one of the most disappointing players on the Royals, and at his press conference announcing the extension, Garcia revealed that general manager J.J. Picollo had opened the conversation about an extension before last season began, causing the youngster to put too much pressure on himself.
“It was a tough year, man,” Garcia said, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “When J.J. told me about an extension, I was excited. Getting $30,000 when I signed and then the team telling me about an extension — I was too worried about that. Trying [to do] too much to try and get my extension.”
The Royals bought out just one year of free agency, but it was a big one, as he’ll get paid a guaranteed $19 million in his age-30 season. Then, he’ll have a $21 million club option with a $3.2 million buyout for 2031.
“I wanted to have security, (make sure) my family’s good, don’t worry about money and just focus on next year and play baseball, help the team to play better,” Garcia said Wednesday, per Rogers. “We want to bring a championship back to the city.”
Everything worked out just as it was intended, as far as Garcia and the Royals were concerned. Now, both sides will need to lock in on ensuring the club achieves its full potential in 2026.
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