Royals $51 Million Extension For All-Star Pitcher 'Paying Huge Dividends'

The Kansas City Royals overcame a dreadful 8-14 start to the 2025 season and are now in sole possession of the third American League Wild Card spot at 28-23.

They have cooled off a bit, but are still a clear postseason contender. Their pitching staff has performed quite well and kept them afloat despite an underperforming offense.

The team should have done more to improve the offense, but the moves made to bolster the pitching staff are paying off. One such move was the contract extension they gave Michael Wacha after a strong 2024.

FanSided's Caleb Moody praised the Royals for making the decision to keep him around another three years.

"Wacha has more than managed to reward the Royals for their belief in him this winter, pitching to a 2.86 ERA and 3.10 FIP across his first 10 starts," Moody wrote.

"And his presence has been felt even more in recent days, as while he's already putting forth one of his best seasons of his career, a one-run outing after both Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo hit the IL was the type of tone-setting performance this team desperately needed in the wake of major adversity."

Wacha has been a completely different pitcher since 2022 when he was with the Boston Red Sox. He has quickly emerged into the pitcher the St. Louis Cardinals expected him to be in his early years.

Now with the Royals, he is clearly one of the top starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. We'll see if he can keep it up.

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