The Kansas City Royals have arrived at that point that small-market clubs often do.
They’re nearing the end of Michael Wacha’s contract, and a trade question has arisen.
Do the Royals trade Wacha while they still can? Or do they keep him and hope he can contribute to their cause?
Matters are complicated here by the fact that the Royals took a steep decline in 2026. They entered the season hoping to contend for the playoffs. They were never close to the postseason picture, though.
So the Royals not only have to decide in a vacuum what to do with Wacha, but also whether their team is really good enough to justify keeping him.
The pending lockout will likely delay things this offseason, but eventually, it’s worth keeping an eye on Wacha on the trade market.
Michael Wacha Trade Rumor
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently named Wacha as one of his top-25 trade chips for this MLB offseason.
Specifically, Reuter ranked Wacha at No. 22 on his list, right ahead of Rays right-hander Griffin Jax.
“No one met the Royals’ asking price on Wacha at the deadline, but he could be shopped more aggressively this winter as a reasonably priced veteran starter coming off an All-Star campaign,” Reuter writes. “The 14-year veteran led the AL with 200.2 innings pitched, and his 4.3 WAR was a career-high mark.”
It’s notable that Wacha brings the ability to throw 200 innings in a season. Almost no pitchers do that anymore.
Teams have to use a ton of arms every season to keep their guys fresh and also because of injuries, and if another team felt Wacha could mitigate that issue, he’d have a lot of value to them.
Wacha is 35, but he could still work in the middle of a rotation. He also has a pitching style that depends less on velocity. His changeup should still be effective as he ages.
The Royals have watched through the years as their division rival Cleveland often trades guys late in their contract over the winter to ensure they get some value for them, and that’s what they could do with Wacha here.
Michael Wacha Contract
Wacha’s contract does point to this being a logical time to trade him.
He’s due $14 million in the 2027 season, which is the last official year on his deal.
He does also have a club option for 2028 also set at $14 million. That means that if after the 2027 season his team wants to keep him for 2028, they can exercise that option and keep him around at the same cost for another year.
That’s close enough to free agency for an aging pitcher that a small-market team like the Royals might move on, which will start the rumor mill in earnest.
Royals, Michael Wacha Arrive at Trade Decision Point