Predicting what the Royals extending two vital parts of their core could look like

The Royals have two monumental decisions to make this offseason with the contracts of Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia expiring at the end of the year. Both men are franchise cornerstone-type players who have proven to be vital to the Royals' offense this season.

We saw Pasquantino start to find himself last season with a breakout campaign. He had 19 homers and fell 3 RBI short of 100 before breaking his hand late in the season.

I don’t know if even the biggest Vinnie apologist could have predicted he would turn up like this after he looked like a dead man walking in April. The Pasquatch looked lost and completely broken down at the plate in the first month of the season.

At the end of April, he was slashing a measly .177/.242/.377 and looked disconnected from his head to his feet. I think I’ve mentioned this before on this platform, but I’ll repeat it in case I forgot.

When it comes to veterans, you should believe what you see on the back of their baseball card. The back of Vinnie Pasquantino’s says he’s a .265 hitter who’s coming into his power, and that’s precisely what he’s done this year.

His 28 home runs (including a stretch of five straight games with one) are a career-high, and there are still 30 games left to go. His 92 RBI lead the team and rank 7th in all of baseball.

Then there’s Maikel Garcia, who, in my opinion, has been the Royals’ heartbeat this season. He leads the team in batting average and has not endured a bad month all year.

If you had told me that Maikel would be the Royals ' four-hitter for the majority of the year, I would have used colorful language in response. Still, Garcia has functioned well in the middle of the Royals' order, amassing double-digit RBI in every month.

Garcia has had a resurgent season, reminding Royals fans just how valuable he is to this team. Not only his approach at the plate, but also his stellar defense at third have made him an indispensable player.

His 4.7 WAR, according to Fangraphs, ranks him 12th in baseball, thanks to his ability to add run value on offense and save runs defensively.

With both of their contracts up at the end of the year, the Royals will have to decide if they have the resources to extend both players. Keep in mind that they already gave an extension to Michael Wacha (3-year $51 million), Seth Lugo (2-year $46 million), and Cole Ragans (3-year $13.25).

What could deals for Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia look like?

Predicting what a Vinnie Pasquantino extension could look like

Vinnie was a good player last season. This year, he's turned into a great player, becoming one of the best first basemen in the American League. He's always been a good hitter with his advanced batted ball profile and his ability to hit to all fields.

The difference this year, which will most likely drive his price up, is the jump in power we've seen from Pasquatch. His .216 ISO has increased 33 points from 2024, and his .480 SLG has increased 34 points from last season.

This is excellent news for Vinnie, but makes it challenging for the Royals to retain him on a team-friendly deal. Pasquantino signed a one-year $793,250 contract at the beginning of 2025 and is a pre-arbitration player under team control through 2028.

He's eligible for arbitration at the end of this year, so it will behoove the Royals to buy out those arbitration years. In fact, they did just that with Cole Ragans.

The Royals bought out two of Ragans' arbitration years, giving him the security of knowing he'll be in Kansas City, but also received a nice pay raise.

That could be the blueprint for KC to get a deal done with Vinnie. The Royals can offer Vinnie a three-year contract for up to $25 million. His annual salary would increase from $793,250 to $8.3 million.

That would put him just behind Josh Naylor of the Seattle Mariners and ahead of Yandy Diaz. This way, Vinnie can stay in KC and also enjoy an increase in salary that fits a player of his caliber.

The Royals cannot afford to lose the one legit power bat they have. Vinnie is a homegrown player and has done everything that has been asked of him and then some.

Not only is he producing on the field, he's the vocal leader in the clubhouse and a leader by example. The Royals need to keep Vinnie at all costs to make him a part of this core for the foreseeable future.

Predicting what a Maikel Garcia extension could look like

No player on the Royals has proven their worth quite like Garcia has this season. After a lackluster year in 2024, he's vaulted himself into one of the best third basmen and all-around ball players in the game.

His career season has been highlighted by more power (he had 11 homers in 23' and 24' combined. He now has 13 and counting) and a more patient approach at the plate.

His ISO jumped from .101 last year to .169 this year, and he's increased his walk rate to 9.1% compared to 6.7% in 2024.

His BABIP has also jumped 100 points (.328), meaning he's not just finding good luck; he's making quality contact in the zone and reaching base at an above-average clip.

Another homegrown talent, Garcia is under team control until 2030, making him cost-effective relative to the market. The Royals have shown a propensity to extend players before they hit arbitration.

If anyone deserves a pay raise on this team, it's Garcia. Take care of at least two or three years of arbitration for him, while you attempt to work out a long-term extension.

A four or five-year deal seems appropriate for a player of Maikel Garcia's caliber. He's 25, which means he would be 29 or 30 years old at the end of the agreement.

He's been durable, playing 157 games last season and has only missed two games this year, one being the first game of the year due to an odd managerial decision.

The Royals have a responsibility to reward players whom they've developed in their system and have fulfilled their commitment to them. The last thing they need is contract negotiations looming over their heads.

They already passed on his cousin Ronald Acuna Jr., don't compound that mistake by letting Garcia play for another team. Garcia and Acuna share the same agent, and Acuna's contract looks like a bargain.

The Royals could get something worked out with his representation that makes everyone happy.