Royals All-Star Could Stick Around This Winter After Breakout Season
The Kanas City Royals should get plenty of praise due to their performance last offseason.
Kansas City entered the offseason after 106 losses and was much more active than many expected it to be. The Royals invested in superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and also targeted veteran free agents overlooked by other organizations.
The Royals did a great job doing so. Other teams waited around for big-name players like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery. But Kansas City didn't get complacent. The Royals signed veterans like Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo and now Kansas City is going to be back in the playoffs.
There could be some changes coming with some free agent decisions looming. Wacha could decide to opt out of his deal, but Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter said he could be back in Kansas City next year.
"Wacha has pitched well enough this season that he is a safe bet to decline his $16 million player option for 2025," Reuter said. "Since the start of the 2022 season, he has quietly gone 38-13 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 366 strikeouts in 417.2 innings while pitching for the (Boston Red Sox), (San Diego Padres), and Royals. It's not out of the question to think he could stay in Kansas City on a new contract, but he has pitched his way to a fresh multiyear deal."
Wacha has been everything the Royals could've hoped for this season and it would be great if they could find a way to keep him with the team in 2025 and beyond.
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Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also recieved an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org