Rangers Two-Time World Series Champ Could Price Himself Out Of Royals Negotiations
Though the Kansas City Royals have a playoff run to worry about in 2024, it's never too early to start thinking about constructing the roster for the upcoming season.
One of the keys to the Royals' success this season has been their starting rotation. The top four starters for Kansas City compare favorably to just about every other team in baseball, and those four have racked up a combined 49 wins on the mound this year.
With 33-year-old Michael Wacha set to hit the open market, though, the Royals will have at least one spot to fill in that rotation next season. They could, of course, try to re-sign Wacha. But there are a plethora of other options out there.
Veteran starter and two-time World Series champion Nathan Eovaldi could be seen as a potential upgrade for the Royals. Kansas City Royals on SI's own Curt Bishop wrote on Sunday that Eovaldi would be an ideal fit for the Royals in 2025, if they are willing to meet the veteran's price tag.
However, there is a twist in the potential pursuit of Eovaldi that could occur if he checks off a notable 2024 preseason goal Tuesday night.
Eovaldi has thrown 152.0 innings for the Rangers this season He threw 144.0 last season. If he throws four in his start on Tuesday night, he will trigger the $20 million vesting option for reaching 300 combined innings during his initial two-year agreement.
That gives Eovaldi two options. One, he can return to Texas for one more season if he wants to avoid the drama of free agency and continue pitching for his hometown team. Or two (much more likely), he can use the vesting option as a way to drive up his eventual salary.
At 34, Eovaldi is still one of the most dependable pitchers in baseball. He has a 3.67 ERA in 26 starts this season, but his 1.08 WHIP is lower than it was in his All-Star campaign in 2023. Most importantly, Eovaldi has proven to be one of the most clutch postseason pitchers of the past decade, ripping off two heroic runs with the 2018 Boston Red Sox and 2023 Rangers.
The Royals appear to be ramping up their spending as they work towards building a new ballpark in downtown Kansas City. They handed star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. a $288.8 million extension this spring, a number previously unheard of around the Royals' owner's suite.
Still, going above $20 million per season for a veteran pitcher is a risk the Royals haven't typically taken throughout their history. They may find doing so is worth that risk when it comes to Eovaldi.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org