In April 2012, the Rangers gave Kinsler a five-year, $75 million contract extension, with a $10 million option for a sixth year and a $5 million buyout if the team were to not pick up the option. The extension replaced the team's $10 million option for 2013 with a $13 million salary, and paid him $16 million in both 2014 and 2015, $14 million in 2016, and $11 million in 2017. A team option in 2018 could become guaranteed at $12 million, and included a $5 million buyout. The contract made Kinsler the highest-paid second baseman in baseball.