The Royals announced this afternoon that they’ve signed right-hander Michael Wacha to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2028 season. Wacha will earn $18MM in each of the 2025 and 2026 seasons and then at least $14MM in 2027, with another $4MM available in incentive bonuses. The $14MM club option for 2028 contains a $1MM buyout. All in all, the three-year pact will net Wacha at least $51MM in guaranteed money. Wacha is represented by CAA Sports.
Wacha signed a two-year, $32MM free agent deal with Kansas City last offseason that contained an opt-out clause after the first year. It was widely assumed that Wacha would opt out (leaving $16MM on the table) and return to free agency, though this new deal will give Wacha some security after bouncing around the league for the last several years.
The 33-year-old got his start with the Cardinals after being selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, but performed as little more than a back-end starter in seven seasons with St. Louis. After his first forays into free agency saw him post below-average numbers with the Rays and Mets, Wacha managed to turn things around in a big way after signing with the Red Sox on a one-year deal prior to the 2022 season.
In 23 starts with Boston, he posted an excellent 3.32 ERA in 127 1/3 innings of work. Wacha has kept that level of performance up throughout his early thirties, with a 3.30 ERA in 76 starts over the past three years with the Red Sox, Padres, and Royals. That 128 ERA+ is already quality mid-rotation production that most any club would happily take as a part of their starting five, but Wacha’s overall numbers looked even better with Kansas City than they had in his two prior successful campaigns.
Wacha largely maintained a more or less identical strikeout rate (21.2%) to the 21.3% figure he posted from 2022-23, and his walk rate ticked down slightly from 6.9% to 6.6%. Far more important than that, however, is Wacha’s improved ability to suppress hard contact. The right-hander’s hard-hit rate of 32.2% was the lowest Wacha had posted since 2017, while his barrel rate also improved slightly over his 2022-23 figure. Overall, Wacha’s quality of contact numbers were among the best of his career, including the lowest line drive rate he’s ever posted in a full season, plus improved groundball and infield fly ball rates relative to his 2022-23 seasons. Altogether, that improved batted ball data left the righty with not only a strong 3.35 ERA but also a 3.65 FIP that was his best in seven years.
Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, the move to keep Wacha in the fold solidifies Kansas City’s rotation entering next season, keeping a front three of Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, and Wacha together while Brady Singer, Alec Marsh, and Kyle Wright are among the club’s options for their final two starting jobs. With their rotation perhaps mostly set, the Royals will now surely look to upgrade an offense that generally struggled to produce in 2024 outside of superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. In particular, the Royals figure to look for upgrades to their outfield mix coming off a season where the club’s 79 wRC+ in the outfield was bottom three in baseball ahead of only the White Sox and Pirates.
While Wacha’s fresh contract in Kansas City takes a quality mid-rotation arm off of the market, a number of interesting pitchers remain available this winter. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell, and Jack Flaherty stand at the top of the market, with mid-rotation options like Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, and Luis Severino among the players still available in a similar tier to Wacha for the many clubs who figure to be on the hunt for rotation help.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported Wacha’s new deal, with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adding the full contract breakdown.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Three straight seasons of plus pitching. Solid deal for both sides.
Nice to see KC sitting at the big boys table
They were one of the biggest spenders last offseason, too. Far behind the Dodgers (like everyone else), but still top 5-6 in guaranteed deals signed.
John Henry is probably mad that Breslow was unable to make a one year $5m offer…
Top 100, big boys table? They’re going home early with their own girlfriend.
They didn’t dance with any of the hot chicks who arrived later and were available after the dance floor broke out for the DJ at 10:00. Royals danced the Waltz at 7:00 right after dessert and before the band packed up.
Gary,
Who have the Red Sox signed since the end of the 2023 season besides Giolito?
Seems fair. He’s a pretty big injury risk but there is some upside there even at his age.
I am good with this. Starting pitching had a very good year last year and they’re all back for next year.
Good for him. Cashes out 10 years after giving up the pennant clinching homerun to Travis Ishikawa.
blackpink: “He’s a pretty big injury risk”
I see he is averaging about 130 innings per year so I guess that means he has a short IL stint for some short term injury that hasn’t had a big adverse effect on his pitching arm every year.
That said, what pitcher isn’t “a pretty big injury risk” these days?
I think that statement can apply to all of them. Their next pitch may be TJ.
Based on his last 3 years, this is a very fair contract for KC. They can cross their fingers for the injury big to stay away just like all of their other pitchers.
That’s 10 years ago? sheesh we’re all old now 🙂
Who are we to judge? Who amongst us hasn’t given up a pennant clinching home run to Travis Ishikawa, metaphorically speaking?
Kansas City?! Spending?!?!?! When did Sherman get this money to spend?
Isn’t he trying to get a new stadium, so maybe it is in his interest to convince voters (who would be putting public funding for a project) that he is invested and willing to spend. At least it is a new direction where he is wooing fans and inducing potentially more sympathetic voting for a future plan he desires.
Bingo. All this spending is due to Shyster Sherm pushing for that new stadium and entertainment center. Once he gets it approved he will go right back tightwad Sherm.
Even with the Wacha contract, KC’s projected 2025 payroll checks in at just over $120 million. That’s hardly wild spending by baseball standards. The Royals have just been smart or lucky or both in their recent outlays. For a fraction of, say, the Mets’ payroll they got almost as many wins in 2024.
Given their market size and TV revenue questions, the Royals look reasonable in their spending. I don’t see any crazy spree designed to get a new stadium.
This isn’t a crazy spree. It is abnormal to standard behavior the ownership had showed. Now, it is justified to spend when Witt Jr. gives them a legit chance. However, you’d have to be ignorant or simply naive to believe this isn’t all being used by the Ownership to lobby for their desire to get a new stadium and the goodies that comes with it. They are building momentum to get what they want and they’ll have some track record they can point in discussions by they start acting like a proactive franchise. What some folks are complaining about is that this is merely to get what they want and will not continue this behavior after they receive what they wanted.
I hope the voters never vote for a new stadium
They don’t deserve another tax and I don’t want to see Kauffman stadium destroyed
Okay, it’s ignorant and naive to look at the actual numbers. Back in the real world, the Royals’ payroll is far from outlandish and hardly seems designed to convince voters of anything. But you’ve got your pet conspiracy theory.
Most of the fans that want to keep Kauffman Stadium point to the fact that Kauffman has parking right at the stadium while downtown parking would be scattered all over and most people don’t want to be walking back to their car late at night in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Plus at Kauffman they have courtesy carts for the disabled/elderly or anyone who may need assistance that won’t be possible downtown.
Look what happens when teams spend more money and put a quality team on the field. The team makes more money.
Playoff revenue?
Extra happy KC got to keep him. Pitching should carry them again next season, and that gives them a chance at least.
“Wacha Wacha Wacha!”
—. Fozzie Bear
Who can it be ?
Baby Fozzie up in a tree
“Meep meep meep!”
-Beaker
Template for a Reds deal with Martinez?
Maybe, but are the Reds going to commit to letting him start games? You don’t spend that kind of money on a swingman
The way he ended the year, you would think so.
“With their starting pitching solidified, the Royals will now surely look to upgrade an offense that generally struggled to produce in 2024 outside of superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr”
They did struggle offensively, but I thought Perez, Pasquantino, and Massey were ok to good.
Royals are set with their starters, just need another bat to get some length in that lineup. Who that is, I’m not sure, but I don’t see them bidding on Pete Alonso.
Teoscar
Oh, hadn’t thought of Teoscar but he’s definitely within the Royals’s budget and he wouldn’t bog them down with too many years, probably 3 or 4 years.
I don’t know about that. He made 23 million this past season and is surely going to want a raise.
A 4 year/100 million dollar deal might get it done.
Glad to see him finally get a long term deal. Seems like he’s been playing on one year deals forever.
If he was awful or hurt he could have opted in for another year. 1 year deal with player option is much better than a 2 year deal.
Nice to see. Looked like he might be done after the 2021 season. Great bounce back.
Good. Someone finally giving Wacha more than a year.
It wasn’t teams. They would have happily given him 2 years.
Nice.
It feels like Wacha should be way older than he is. I think this is a great deal for both parties.
I feel like he’s been hanging on for the past few years on 1 year deals and he has a good season after a few mediocre years and now all of the sudden is worthy of a 3 year deal? Maybe 5 years ago, but I feel like he’s just going to be league average next season and just decline from there. He seems like somebody the Rays would sign again on a 1 year deal that would disappoint them. I’m glad that somebody else made that mistake.
He’s been taking one year deals in hopes of getting a deal like this. The right move for him for sure. And they were pretty much 2 year deals. He was either good and healthy and opted out to to get more $ or if he was awful or hurt he simply opts in for another year. Much better than a standard 2 year deal.
I take exception to was a “little more than a back end starter in his 7 years with the cards”.
Guy was a bit of phenom dominating in the 2013 nlcs and then but up roughly 300 innings of 3.30 ball in 14/15. He was even an Allstar. Dude was viewed as an upcoming ace along with Carlos Martinez. Injuries turned him into a pumpkin after that, but his first 3 seasons deserve a little more credit than that.
I thought he was going to be a stud after his first few seasons, and looking back on his stats he was actually pretty good the past 3 years, but I feel like he’s going to come back to his norm of the seasons in between.
I thought Wacha and Sonny Gray were going to be 20 game winners when they came up around the same time and were throwing smoke. If only baseball could stop injuries to young prospects.
Pretty much been the same guy. Got few more ground balls in STL. Not enough k’s to be elite. His 2 worst era seasons were 2 of his best k and bb rate. All comes down to hrs.
Fozzy Bear approves.
Wowzers…thought Wacha would be on the market for a bit longer. He must love it in KC. Good for him and them. Hopefully, they can add another comparable arm, return to the postseason and get a bit farther than they did in 2024.
Some players don’t need every last dollar. KC seems like a nice place to play.
And maybe some of this is a Boras hangover. I’d bet real money that there are a number of players that just want to get paid, and not wait until April or May to land a contract.
You would think the Wacha family would already be rich off of the royalties from the Pac Man eating sound bite. The rich just get richer.
Royals Severely overpaid. Disgusting.
I think this team is a sleeper to sign Burnes
For a small market the Royals are getting stacked…