The KC Royals have a Michael Wacha problem they must address

Michael Wacha's contract doesn't guarantee he'll be back next season

The deal Wacha signed looks like he'll be a Royal again in 2025, but don't take his return as a given. Yes, the contract guarantees him $16 million apiece for this season and next, but he doesn't have to come back. Instead, whether he pitches for Kansas City next year depends entirely on a player option — if he exercises it, he'll return, but if he doesn't, he won't be a Royal unless he signs a new KC deal.

Losing Wacha, one of the franchise's finest free agent acquisitions in recent memory, would be a blow and leave a gaping hole in manager Matt Quatraro's rotation. So, what should the club do?

The KC Royals must find a way to retain Michael Wacha

Wacha seems happy in Kansas City, he's pitching for a winner, and the Royal future is bright, all of which suggests he'll be tempted to return for another year.

But in his 12th major league season, Wacha is also a savvy veteran who knows baseball is a business, and the kind of year he's having suggests he'll be quite attractive on the open market if he declines his option and becomes a free agent.

The Royals need to get out in front of that possibility.

How to do that is the question...