Royals Veteran Predicted To Turn Down $16 Million, Making Reunion Difficult
The Kansas City Royals wouldn't be where they are without their incredible starting pitching.
Coming off a last-place finish in 2023, the Royals opened this season with three exciting new hurlers in their starting rotation. All three have popped, and as a result, the Royals are not only in the playoffs, but one win away from advancing to the division series.
Two of those three starting pitchers--Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo--are locked into rotation spots for 2025. But the third, 33-year-old Michael Wacha, has the choice to seek more money to pitch elsewhere.
The Royals could certainly bring Wacha back in 2024, but it may not be as simple as they would hope. Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston predicted that Wacha will exercise his opt-out, while also ranking him as the number-seven free agent in the upcoming class of starting pitchers.
"Perhaps the Royals' surprisingly successful season will be enough to convince Wacha to exercise his player option. However, the veteran righty continued to prove worthy of a multi-year contract with another outstanding campaign. He's only getting better with age," Leger said.
During the regular season, Wacha went 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA, continuing his career renaissance. He is now 38-14 with a 3.30 since the beginning of his age-30 season in 2022. It seems as though $20 million per year would be a bare minimum for a pitcher with his consistent production.
Kansas City still has Lugo, Ragans, and Brady Singer, but losing Wacha would still be a painful blow. He was worth 3.5 wins above replacement this year, per Baseball Reference, and would likely take the hill on Thursday if the Royals are in a do-or-die situation.
So will the Royals make an earnest attempt to bring back one of their most crucial hurlers in 2025? It's up to the front office to decide.
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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