KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — All-Star third baseman Mike Garcia and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a five-year contract that includes a club option for a sixth season, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is pending a medical review. Financial terms have not been released, but the deal is expected to be a lucrative one for Garcia, who is first eligible for arbitration in 2026.
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The deal essentially buys out his arbitration period and potentially his first two years of free agency.
The 25-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he won his first Gold Glove while playing alongside All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.; at the plate, he hit .286 with a career-high 16 homers and 74 RBIs.
While the Royals prioritized acquiring outfield help this offseason — they agreed to a $5.25 million deal with Ryan Thomas on Thursday — they also want to make sure they maintain the team’s cornerstone. It started with re-signing catcher Salvador Perez to a $25 million, two-year contract in November and then letting Garcia sit out at least the 2030 season.
He can also play shortstop and second base, and Garcia even dabbled in the outfield last season.
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By retaining him, the Royals also solidify one of the best infields in baseball. Witt was selected to his second straight All-Star appearance and won the Gold Glove Award, Perez was a nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner, and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was coming off the best season of his four-year major league career, hitting .264 with 32 homers and 113 RBIs.
This also follows the Royals’ trend of staying true to their own style. All four players were signed and developed by Kansas City.
The Royals failed to make the playoffs last season, but they finished with an 82-80 record, their first consecutive World Series wins since 2014 and ’15. With a talented pitching staff returning and young position players rising, there is optimism that Kansas City can return to the postseason in 2026.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
