'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Michael Wacha has decided to stay with the Kansas City Royals, signing a new contract for the upcoming season. The two parties have inked a three-year, $51 million contract that includes a fourth-year option.
With the deal, Wacha could earn up to $72 million, including all performance bonuses, over the coming years with the Royals. ESPN's Jeff Passan shared insights about the deal and its significance for the entire team:
“The big upshot of the Michael Wacha deal: Kansas City keeps together its starting rotation of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Wacha. And Wacha nearly doubles his career earnings while staying in a place he thrived last year. Kansas City is already out and spending, as it did last winter, when the Royals turned from a 56-win mess into an 86-win playoff team."
Trending
Michael Wacha will earn $18 million each in the 2025 and 2026 seasons, $14 million in 2027, along with $4 million in bonuses. The deal also includes a club option for $14 million in 2028.
“The Royals used the quiet period -- the five days after the World Series ends, when teams can re-sign their free agents-to-be -- to check off an important box in an important offseason,” Passan added.
Wacha is coming off a two-year, $32 million contract signed with the Kansas City Royals in December 2023, which includes a $16 million salary for the 2024 season and a $16 million player option for the upcoming season.
Michael Wacha's 2024 season with the Royals by the numbers
Michael Wacha went 13-8, recording a 3.35 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP during the 2024 season with the Kansas City Royals. In the regular season, he started 29 games and pitched a total of 166.2 innings.
In the postseason, Wacha started two games, pitching 8.2 innings and allowing 10 hits and five earned runs. He has been playing in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons, having played for teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres.
In his career, he has recorded 101 wins and 62 losses in 278 games, with a 3.89 ERA.
