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Veteran starting pitcher Michael Wacha reportedly agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The right-hander became a free agent in November after the San Diego Padres declined a two-year, $32 million option in his contract and he promptly turned down a one-year, $6.5 million player option.
The decision was a little surprising on the club side if only because San Diego also had Blake Snell and Seth Lugo also hit the open market. That was 82 combined starts in 2023 going out the door.
A $16 million salary was also on the slightly higher end but not a major overpay who delivered what Wacha did on the mound. He went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA and a 3.89 FIP in 134.1 innings.
The 32-year-old did tail off a bit as the season wore on. He sported a 2.84 ERA and a 1.074 WHIP through the first half and saw those numbers rise to 3.88 and 1.315, respectively, in his nine starts in the second half.
Wacha could be a regression candidate in 2024.
According to FanGraphs, opposing hitters had a .266 batting average on balls in play against him. While it was his second straight year with a sub-.270 BABIP (.260 in 2022), both are below his career average of .295.
His home and road splits might have been a consideration as well. Wacha had a a 2.62 ERA at traditionally pitcher-friendly Petco Park and a 4.07 ERA on the road.
The decline shouldn’t be as steep as his run from 2019 to 2021, when Wacha combined to have a 5.11 ERA in 66 appearances. For the majority of his career, he has been a solid starter in the back half of the rotation.
Throw in the fact he has thrown 100-plus innings in all but 10 full seasons — excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign — and he provides a solid baseline in terms of his value for Kansas City.
Amid their prolonged rebuild, the Royals have tried and failed to organically build a starting rotation that can catapult them into contention. By reuniting Wacha with former Padres teammate Lugo, they’re banking a little more on ready-made talent in 2024.
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