The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is pending a physical examination. Financial terms were not available, but the deal is expected to be lucrative for Garcia, who was first eligible for arbitration in 2026.
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The deal essentially buys out his arbitration years and potentially his first two years of free agency.
The 25-year-old is coming off a breakout season both in the field, where he won his first Gold Glove playing alongside All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., and at the plate, where he hit .286 with 16 home runs and a career-high 74 RBIs.
While the Royals have prioritized getting outfield help this offseason (they agreed to a $5.25 million deal with Lane Thomas on Thursday), they also wanted to make sure they kept the cornerstones of their franchise. That started with the re-signing of catcher Salvador Pérez to a two-year, $25 million contract in November, and continued to keep García at least through the 2030 season.
He’s also capable of playing shortstop and second base, and Garcia even dabbled in playing the outfield last season.
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By keeping him in the fold, the Royals also solidified what has been one of the best teams in baseball. Witt is coming off a second straight All-Star and Gold Glove appearance, Perez is a nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino just had the best season of his four-year major league career, batting .264 with 32 home runs and 113 RBI.
It also continues the trend of the Royals maintaining their own. Each of those four players was signed and developed by Kansas City.
The Royals failed to make the playoffs last season, but finished 82-80, the first time they had back-to-back winning years since they went to back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015. And with a talented pitching staff set to return and young position players on the rise, there is optimism that Kansas City can return to the postseason in 2026.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb