“Extend Maikel Garcia” will no longer be the refrain of Kansas City Royals.

Garcia, the Royals’ 25-year-old third baseman, enjoyed a breakout season in 2025. He upped his OPS by 186 points, made his first All-Star team, and racked up 5.8 bWAR, tying José Ramírez for the top mark among all third basemen in Major League Baseball.

Keeping Garcia locked in as the starting third baseman alongside shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was a worthy objective as the Royals looked to prove their championship window is open. Not only has that objective now been accomplished, but there’s a chance Kansas City could be saving itself serious money.

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Garcia’s extension buys out at least one free-agent year

On Friday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Royals and Garcia were in agreement on a five-year extension with a club option for a sixth year, which would be the 2031 season.

As Garcia was entering his first year of arbitration eligibility as a “super two” player, this deal buys out at least one free-agent year, with the Royals holding the keys to a second if they decide to exercise that club option.

At the time of publication, the monetary value of Garcia’s extension was not yet known. But there’s virtually no scenario in which buying out his age-30 season comes back to haunt Kansas City, and in reality, the chances are much higher that they save money compared to the market value of not only that season, but the season or two before.

Plus, Garcia now can rest assured that no matter what happens in his career, he’s got life-changing money secured for himself and his family. That sort of peace of mind is designed to help a player achieve his maximum potential. 

A strong left side of the infield has been a hallmark of countless championship baseball teams in years past. The Royals have arguably the strongest left side in the game already, and both players are young enough to still be on their parents’ health insurance.

Buying out one year of free agency might not sound game-changing to some, but the Royals are also sending a message here that they believe in the bones of this roster, and while locking in the core, the implication is that they’ll supplement the roster with the pieces necessary to put them over the top.