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The Kansas City Royals have signed ace pitcher Michael Wacha on a two-year, $32 million deal, per MLB analyst Jeff Passan. After the Padres rejected his two-year club option and he turned down his 2024 player option, Wacha, 32, became a free agent this offseason. However, his search for a new ballclub is over as Kansas City is stocking up and arguably trying to be the dark horse of trade this offseason.
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"Right-handed starter Michael Wacha and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a two-year, $32 million contract, a source tells ESPN. He gets an opt-out after the first season" - JeffPassan
In addition to Will Smith joining the bullpen and Hunter Renfroe joining the outfield, Kansas City has been busy lately. The team has added Seth Lugo and Wacha to its rotation. Although Wacha hasn't started thirty games in a season since 2017, he has been successful the past two seasons. He amassed a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 228:74 K:BB across 261.2 innings when healthy.
Fans praised the announcement on Twitter, with some claiming that the Royals were having a better offseason than many other financially strong ballclubs. Here are a few tweets:
Michael Wacha has seen some spectacular days in the MLB
Michael Wacha was a great addition to San Diego last season. He put up a 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 124 strikeouts against 43 walks in 134 1/3 innings. Wacha had three poor seasons until getting back on track in 2022, posting a 3.32 ERA over 23 starts for the Red Sox. From 2019 to 21, he appeared in 66 games (54 starts) for the Cardinals, Mets and Rays, posting a 5.11 ERA.
"Michael Wacha’s best pitch in 2019: his changeup, which recorded a .247 xWOBA (85th percentile) and 39% Sw/Miss rate (83rd percentile). It has historically been his best offering" - Jacob_Resnick
Following their three-year agreement with Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, 32, is the second experienced addition to the Royals' rotation this winter. Wacha and Lugo pitched together for the San Diego Padres in the previous season and for the New York Mets in 2020.
