Where KC Royals' 2025 rotation stands after surprise Michael Wacha signing

The 2024-25 offseason has been underway for mere days, but the Kansas City Royals have already made a big move to solidify their roster for next year. With starter Michael Wacha expected to decline his $16 million player option for the 2025 season, the Royals made a surprise announcement on Sunday that they had re-signed the veteran to a three-year contract with a club option for 2028, locking him into their rotation for the foreseeable future.

With Wacha now signed for 2025 and beyond, it's clear the Royals' are taking an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to retooling their rotation this offseason — and that certainly isn't a bad thing. In 2024, Kansas City's starters ranked second in MLB with a combined ERA of 3.55, one pitcher won a Gold Glove Award, and another was nominated.

So where does the rotation stand now, and what — if any — work still needs to be done before the 2025 season?

Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo will return as the KC Royals' 1-2 punch

The unexpected breakout of Cole Ragans as an ace starter was game-changing for the Royals.

In 32 regular-season starts this year, the left-hander posted a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts, becoming only the fifth pitcher in Royals history to strike out 200 batters in a single season. Ragans' performance earned him his first All-Star selection and a nomination for a Gold Glove Award — not too shabby for a guy who was sitting on a 5.92 ERA as a reliever when he was acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers in June 2023.

Ragans made two starts during the Royals' playoff campaign — one during the Wild Card Series and one in the AL Division Series — posting an impressive 0.90 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.

Not to be outdone, veteran Seth Lugo earned his first Gold Glove win and All-Star selection in 2024, which was the 33-year-old's first season as a full-time starter. The Royals signed Lugo to a three-year, $45 million contract last offseason, and he quickly proved himself as one of the team's best free agent signings in recent memory.

In 33 starts this year, Lugo went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts in 206.2 innings of work. He finished the first half of the season with the best ERA in the American League (2.21) and tied for the most wins (11) in MLB. Lugo made two starts during the Royals' playoff campaign, compiling a 2.89 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

Ragans is still pre-arbitration and Lugo's contract locks him in for another two seasons, meaning the Royals will have their 1-2 punch back at the top of the rotation in 2025.

Michael Wacha's is a fierce third starter for the KC Royals

Under his new three-year deal, Wacha will earn $18 million in 2025 and 2026, and $14 million in 2027, plus $4 million in performance incentives, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The contract includes a $14 million club option for the 2028 season, with the same performance incentives, or a $1 million buyout. The contract's maximum value is $72 million over four years.

Before the 2024 season, the Royals signed Wacha to a one-year, $16 million contact, with a $16 million player option for 2025. He was widely expected to decline his option for next season and become a free agent, so his new deal with the Royals proves the team wasn't willing to risk that.

In 2024, Wacha went 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 166.2 innings (29 starts). He made two starts during the Royals playoff campaign — one in the Wild Card series against the Baltimore Orioles and one in the ALDS against the New York Yankees — where he wasn't quite as solid as he had been during the regular season, posting an ERA of 5.19 in 8.2 innings.

Still, Wacha was an incredible asset to the Royals in 2024, and his new contract shows the team believe he will continue to add value next season and beyond.

Brady Singer bounced back in 2024

Arbitration-eligible Brady Singer had a comeback year of his own in 2024.

In 2023, the right-hander's 8-11 record with a disappointing 5.52 ERA in 159.2 innings (29 starts) signaled a rather dramatic fall from grace. This season, he bounced back to his earlier form, recording a 3.71 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 32 starts, and posting career-best numbers in strikeouts (170) and innings pitched (179.2).

KC Royals have reactivated Kyle Wright from IL

When the Royals acquired Kyle Wright in a trade with the Atlanta Braves in November 2023, they knew it would be at least a season before he'd return to the mound. The pitcher had undergone surgery to repair his right shoulder capsule just a month prior to the trade, and he'd battled injuries for the entirety of 2023, only managing nine appearances for the Braves that season.

Now the Royals have reactivated Wright from the IL, and the 29-year-old is expected to join the team's rotation as their fifth starter in 2025.

Prior to his injury, Wright was fierce. His 21-5 record and 3.19 ERA in 2022 helped the Braves win the National League East Division for the sixth consecutive season, and his 21 wins was the most of any pitcher in MLB.

It still remains to be seen whether the right-hander can return to form he displayed in 2022, but with his shoulder now rehabilitated, Wright could be the missing link the Royals' rotation needs to set them apart next season.

Where does the KC Royals starting rotation stand now?

On Monday, the MLB Network's Jon Morosi commented on the Royals' top three starters — Ragans, Lugo, and Wacha — and expressed that the team has a lot to be excited about.

"Right now in the early days of November, I am not sure how many teams can look at their rotation and have three better pitchers than what the Kansas City Royals have."

With Ragans, Lugo, Wacha, Singer, and Wright, the Royals have an undeniably fierce starting rotation going into 2025 — so are there any further moves that need to be made in this area before Opening Day?

At the 2024 trade deadline, the Royals acquired 2023 All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen in a trade with the Texas Rangers, adding depth to their rotation for the final stretch and sending struggling Alec Marsh to the bullpen. Lorenzen went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in seven appearances (six starts) with the Royals, but unfortunately, his time in Kansas City was brief, and he became a free agent on October 31.

With Lorenzen leaving, it remains to be seen whether the Royals will make any moves to add extra depth to the rotation. It's not exactly crucial — Wright is now off the IL, so Lorenzen's 2024 role as the fifth starter has already been filled — and they're very unlikely to spend big on a top free agent. Still, a smaller acquisition to give the team a backup plan in case of injury isn't out of the question.

Either way, there's a lot to like about the Royals' starting rotation going into 2025, and if Wacha's deal is anything to go by, the team's front office is taking this offseason very seriously.