Guardians divisional rival add slugger to long-term core as Cleveland sits silent 

Another day, another American League Central signing. 

A day after the Kansas City Royals signed Lane Thomas to a one-year contract, they inked Maikel Garcia to a five-year, $52.5 million contract that will keep the infielder in Kansas City for the long-term. Meanwhile, the Guardians haven’t done much of anything outside of adding three unheralded relievers to their bullpen. 

The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. 

Even though there’s no guarantee that Garcia’s contract will age well, it’s still a bit disappointing to see a division rival ink such an important player to a contract extension at a time when Steven Kwan’s contract status is a talking point among Guardians fans. 

Mikael Garcia is going to be a thorn in the Guardians’ side for the forseeable future

The contract comes on the back of a career year for Garcia, who slashed .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs and 74 RBI in 160 games while being named a first time All-Star. He ended up beating out José Ramírez for the American League Gold Glove at third base. 

While he struggled a bit in his first taste of MLB action (.251 batting average in 289 games from 2022 to ‘24), he hit a new level in 2025 that helped him earn a big contract. He’s a Super Two player, so the contract will cover all three of his arbitration-eligible years along with two years of free agency. 

Even if the Royals are banking on Garcia to continue a breakout, they decided they’d rather sign him to a contract at a discount as opposed to waiting and running the risk of his price tag increasing. 

It also helps that the Royals also have Bobby Witt Jr. under contract for nine more seasons as a part of the 11-year, $288.8 million he signed prior to the 2024 season. Although the Royals finished last season with a disappointing 82-80 record after making it to the postseason the season prior, Witt and Garcia create a dangerous tandem on the left side of the infield. 

Garcia’s playing in 35 games against the Guardians (the second-most he has against any team) and he’s hit .248 with four home runs and 17 RBI in those games. He hit .317 against the Guardians last season. 

The Guardians have plenty of young players who stand out as extension candidates. They could get in on the ground floor for a player like Parker Messick or CJ Kayfus, or try to ink Kyle Manzardo or Cade Smith to a contract before their price gets higher (not dissimilar to what the Royals did with Garcia). 

While there’s still a chance the Guardians’ front office could ink someone to an extension at spring training (which they’ve done in years prior), there will be a little more pressure on them to do so after the Royals jumped the line on Garcia.