Royals Sign Long-Term Extension with Maikel Garcia

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

On Friday afternoon, news broke from multiple sources, national and local, that the Kansas City Royals and third baseman Maikel Garcia have agreed to a five-year, $57.5 million extension with an option that could push it to six years and $85 million. 

2025 was a huge breakout season for the 25-year-old from Venezuela. He originally debuted with nine games in 2022. He was a solid, one-win type of player in 2023 and 2024. In 160 games in 2025, Garcia hit .286/.351/.449 (.800) with 39 doubles, five triples, and 16 home runs. He also had 23 stolen bases. He had a 123 OPS+ and was worth 5.8 bWAR and 5.6 fWAR.  

Taking a slightly deeper look, his approach at the plate was much improved in 2025. His walk rate increased from 6.7% in 2024 to 9.3% in 2025. More impressive, his strikeout rate has dropped from 22.3% in 2023 to 16.5% in 2024 to just 12.6% in 2025. And he did that while improving his overall hitting and his power. The improvements led to him earning his first Gold Glove Award. 

He also improved his defense at the hot corner. He played about 143 more innings at third base in 2025 than 2024, he had four less errors. While not the best defensive metric, his fielding percentage went from a very solid .961 to .980. His DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) at third base jumped from 3.0 in 2024 to 13 in 2025. 

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. just completed Year 2 of his massive 11 year, $288.8 million deal (with options for 2035-2037). Garcia's contract will run through the 2030 season (with an option for 2031). Both were All-Stars in 2025. Both received MVP votes. 

Check back throughout the day for updates as we learn more about the details of the deal. What are your initial thoughts on extending Garcia? 

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