Royals kickstart offseason with bargain Michael Wacha contract in free agency

Just days after the 2024 season officially came to an end, the Kansas City Royals have gotten their offseason shopping started early. Right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha is coming back to the Royals on a new three-year contract.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Wacha's new deal can max out at $72 million over four years if a 2028 club option is picked up by the Royals. The starter will earn $18 million in 2025 and 2026 with a baseline of $14 million in 2027 that can raise up to $18 million if he reaches certain performance bonuses.

Wacha, 33, had a $16 million player option for the upcoming season that he was expected to decline in favor of free agency, but the Royals aren't taking any chances of letting him hit the open market. He's here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Royals re-sign Michael Wacha to three-year contract

Functioning as one of the Royals' top starters in 2024, Wacha has earned this payday. The 12-year veteran latched on with Kansas City on a one-year pact and made good on the club's investment, posting a 3.35 ERA and 3.65 FIP through 29 starts and 166 2/3 innings of work. He paired nicely with Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo atop the Royals starting rotation and will return to that exact situation next year.

In 2024, the Royals' rotation ranked second in all of baseball in starting pitcher ERA (3.55), behind only the Mariners. They finished ninth in the game in K/9 from their rotation and 11th in BB/9, but they excelled in preventing the longball (second in HR/9) and did well in stranding runners on base (third in LOB%). Wacha was an integral piece of this quintet and it's huge for the Royals to bring him back into the fold right away.

The Royals surprised many by successfully entering their latest window of contention sooner than expected. The club is young and uber talented, and bringing Wacha back does nothing but increase their chances of putting together a contending unit in 2025 as well.

Of course, there's still plenty of work to be done, but it's a good thing the offseason is only a few days old.

Now that the Royals can scratch "sign a starting pitcher" off of their to-do list, they can turn their attention towards adding a complementary bullpen arm and some insurance in the outfield. In an AL Central division that was seen as "wide open" entering the 2024 season, the Royals have a legitimate shot at climbing the standings next season if they can keep this momentum going and improve their roster in free agency.