Royals Predicted To Re-Sign All-Star After Kansas City 'Struck Gold'

Will the Royals find a way to keep the veteran hurler in town?
Jun 20, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the home plate tarp logo during the Boston Red Sox batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Jun 20, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the home plate tarp logo during the Boston Red Sox batting practice before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Kansas City Royals certainly were busy last offseason and it has paid off.

Kansas City lost 106 games last season and took a long, hard look at free agency. The Royals needed to add some pitching and target veteran pitchers looking to increase their value in Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo.

Other teams passed over both Wacha and Lugo in pursuit of other pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. Well, Wacha and Lugo both have been fantastic for the Royals and are a major reason why it's looking like Kansas City is going to make it back to the postseason.

Once the season ends, though, the Royals will have some tough decisions to make. The Royals will have some important players hit free agency, including Wacha.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter put together a list of each team's biggest free agents with a prediction about whether they would get re-signed or not. He predicted that the Royals would re-sign Wacha.

"Prediction: Re-sign," Reuter said. "The Kansas City Royals struck gold when they signed Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha during the offseason, and while Lugo is locked up for next year, Wacha's contract contains a $16 million club option for 2025.

With a 3.50 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 123 strikeouts in 144 innings—already his highest inning total since 2017—Wacha is a safe bet to decline that option in favor of a multi-year deal and more money, but that doesn't mean the Royals should close the book on his time with the team. Tacking another guaranteed year on at the same price with a fresh two-year, $32 million deal might be enough to convince him to stick around."

Wacha has been everything the Royals could've hoped for. Hopefully, the two sides find a way to continue their partnership.

More MLB: Former Batting Champ 'Could Be Saying Goodbye' To Royals Per Insider


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Patrick McAvoy

PATRICK MCAVOY

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