Royals agree to new contract with Michael Wacha

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals today announced a three-year contract with right-handed pitcher Michael Wacha. The deal also included a club option for 2028.

Wacha, 33, completed his 12th season in the Majors in 2024 and first with Kansas City. He made 29 starts and recorded 166.2 innings, the 2nd-highest total of his career and most since 2015 (181.1 IP). His 3.35 ERA (62 ER in 166.2 IP) in 2024 ranked 10th in the American League, helping Kansas City’s starting rotation rank 2nd in the Majors with a 3.55 ERA.

Wacha went 13-8 in 2024 and earned his 100th career win on Sept. 8, becoming one of 20 active pitchers with 100 wins. His .620 career win percentage ranks 6th among active pitchers (min. 150 decisions), trailing Clayton Kershaw (.693), Max Scherzer (.659), Gerrit Cole (.657), Justin Verlander (.641) and Chris Sale (.624).

Wacha was particularly strong over his last 22 starts in 2024, during which he went 12-4 with a 2.72 ERA (39 ER in 129.0 IP). His .750 win percentage from May 9 through season’s end was 2nd best in the American League to Tarik Skubal (.778), and his ERA ranked 3rd in the American League (min. 20 starts) behind Hunter Brown (2.46) and Skubal (2.46).

He allowed 3 earned runs or fewer in 16 consecutive starts from May 9-Aug. 23, matching the single-season franchise record set by Bret Saberhagen during his 1989 Cy Young Award-winning season.

Over the last three seasons (since 2022), Wacha’s 3.30 ERA ranks 20th out of 106 pitchers who have recorded at least 300.0 innings, and his 38 wins during that time are tied for 7th most in the Majors. In fact, he’s one of just eight pitchers with at least 11 wins in each of the last three seasons.