Sources: Royals retain Michael Wacha on 3-year, $51M deal
Right-hander Michael Wacha and the Kansas City Royals agreed on a three-year, $51 million contract that includes a fourth-year club option and can max out at $72 million, sources told ESPN.
The Royals announced the deal Sunday but did not disclose terms.
Wacha, 33, was expected to opt out of the final year of the two-year, $32 million deal he signed with the Royals last winter but preferred to stay in Kansas City, where he thrived in front of one of baseball's best defensive teams.
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Kansas City likely would have tendered Wacha a qualifying offer, which would have dampened his free agent market, and the sides struck a deal during the five-day quiet period after the World Series during which teams can re-sign their free-agents-to-be. Wacha will nearly double his career earnings with the deal.
Wacha's nomadic career -- he has played for six teams in the past six seasons -- has been on the upswing since he turned 30. He found perhaps the best version of himself last year, going 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 29 starts, his most since 2017. Wacha and Seth Lugo, his former San Diego Padres teammate, helped stabilize a rotation that also includes All-Star Cole Ragans and drove Kansas City's evolution from a 56-win team in 2023 to an 86-win playoff team this year.