Royals $16 Million Veteran Expected To Opt Out, Making 2025 Reunion Difficult

It could be more expensive than anticipated to keep the band together

Jul 30, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Kansas City Royals hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals are shattering expectations in 2024, and starting pitching is a huge reason for their success.

Royals starters are second among all Major League Baseball teams with a 3.56 ERA. They're third in wins with 56. Two of them were All-Stars, and four of them would be formidable opponents in a playoff matchup this October.

One of those four is offseason signee Michael Wacha, who inked a two-year, $32 million deal with Kansas City that included a player option for 2025. With a 12-7 record and 3.34 ERA, Wacha has been a valuable asset to this excellent rotation all season long.

Keeping Wacha around in 2025, however, could prove even more expensive than it was this year.

On Monday's episode of Fair Territory, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said he expects Wacha to opt out of the second year of his Royals contract, making him an unrestricted free agent heading into 2025.

"In the cases of both Wacha and (Sean) Manaea, they've had really good years," Rosenthal said. "I expect both of those players to get multi-year deals for much more money... and good for them."

Wacha, 33, is having his third straight excellent season on his third different team in that time span. He went 11-2 with the Boston Red Sox in 2022, then 14-4 with the San Diego Padres in 2023. Now, he could be in line for the most significant payday of his career.

Rosenthal also praised the Royals on Monday for increasing payroll in 2024, noting that the team's plan to build a new ballpark to replace Kauffman Stadium was likely part of their motive. But keeping Wacha could still prove difficult in 2025.

According to Rosenthal, Wacha is likely to improve on the $16 million annual salary he got from the Royals in 2024, and the deal is likely to be spread out over multiple years. With potential extensions looming for fellow starters Brady Singer and Cole Ragans, the Royals could be priced out of the Wacha sweepstakes.

Wherever he winds up next season, Wacha will be looking to keep his foot on the gas pedal in the season's final three weeks. And the Royals won't complain, because he's helping them immensely in the win column in his first year in K.C.

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