Michael Wacha Joins Royals On Two-Year Deal
12 months agoFree-agent right-hander Michael Wacha and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal on Friday. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the first year. Wacha landed on the open market when he declined a $6.5 million player option for 2024 with the San Diego Padres after a bounce-back year in 2023 in which he went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA (3.89 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, 43 walks and 124 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings pitched over 24 starts for the Friars. The 32-year-old will have a locked-in rotation spot in the best division for pitchers in baseball, but some regression should be coming for a pitcher with plenty of injury risk that relies on inducing weak contact rather than missing bats. Limiting the long ball, which he did effectively last year, will be another key if he's going to be effective for a third season in a row in his new digs in KC.
Source: New York Post - Jon Heyman
Source: New York Post - Jon Heyman