Wacha agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Royals on Sunday that includes a $14 million club option for 2028, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The right-hander was expected to decline his $16 million player option for 2025, but Kansas City utilized the exclusive five-day negotiating window after the World Series to secure a new deal. Wacha was a key rotation piece for the Royals during their 2024 resurgence with a 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB over 166.2 innings.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Named Game 4 starter
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Wacha will start Thursday in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wacha had a rough outing in Game 1 on Saturday, allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks over four innings en route to a loss. The 33-year-old righty is no stranger to poor postseason performances, as he owns a 5.36 ERA over 42 innings across nine playoff appearances in his career.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Named ALDS Game 1 starter
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Wacha will start Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wacha had been lined up for Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, but with the Royals completing a two-game sweep of the Orioles, the righty will be held back for the ALDS opener. He'll be opposed by Gerrit Cole.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Goes five innings vs. Nats
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Wacha didn't factor into the decision Thursday versus Washington, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.
Three of the four runs charged to Wacha came on a Luis Garcia homer in the third inning. The veteran right-hander hadn't allowed more than two runs in four starts coming into Thursday, posting a 1.99 ERA in that span (22.2 innings). Wacha will finish a solid campaign with a 13-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB across 166.2 innings.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Saddled with eighth loss
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Wacha (9-3) took the loss Friday against the Giants, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
After rattling off back-to-back wins, the 33-year-old fell one out short of his 15th quality start in this 96-pitch outing. The Giants managed only two Heliot Ramos extra-base hits off Wacha, while both runs came on RBI singles. He has allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts, pitching to a 1.58 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB across 22.2 innings. Wacha currently lines up to make his final outing of the regular season at Washington next week.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Fans eight in 13th win
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Wacha (13-7) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out eight.
The right-hander got staked to a 1-0 lead before he stepped on the mound and never relinquished it, generating 18 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches. Wacha has gone an impressive 9-1 in 13 starts since the beginning of July, posting a 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 71:20 K:BB over 77.2 innings during that stretch. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Giants.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Fires seven shutout frames
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Wacha (12-7) allowed four hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win over Minnesota.
Wacha escaped some danger in the first inning but didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position for the rest of his outing. He got right back in the win column after taking his first loss in over two months in his last start. Wacha forced 16 whiffs, the second-highest total he's produced this season. Of those 16, 12 came via the changeup. Wacha dropped his season ERA to 3.34 with a 130:40 K:BB through 151 innings. His next outing is projected to be in Pittsburgh.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Picks up first loss since June
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Wacha (11-7) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Guardians.
Wacha allowed just one hit through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up four hits, including a two-run homer to Lane Thomas. Wacha picked up his first loss since June 22, and he went 7-0 with a 2.86 ERA during that 11-start stretch. The 33-year-old remains a steady presence in the middle of the Royals rotation with a 3.50 ERA through 144 innings this season.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Falls apart late in no-decision
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Wacha came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians, allowing five earned runs on nine hits while striking out seven in six-plus innings. He did not issue a walk.
Wacha allowed just two runs over the first six innings and was on pace to record his sixth consecutive quality start, but a three-run seventh inning soured an otherwise efficient outing. Bo Naylor led off the seventh with a solo home run before back-to-back singles by Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez chased Wacha from the game. Both of those runners came around to score to give Wacha five earned runs on the night, the most he has allowed since May 4. Wednesday's outing represents a minor blemish in what has been an excellent campaign for the veteran, particularly since the All-Star break. Since the intermission, the 33-year-old is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 42:11 K:BB in 49.2 innings (eight starts). He is scheduled for a rematch against Cleveland early next week.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Quality start streak at five
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Wacha (11-6) picked up the win Friday, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings in a 7-4 victory over the Phillies. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The veteran right-hander was sharp once again, tossing 64 of 94 pitches for strikes en route to his fifth straight quality start and 13th of the season -- his highest total since 2017. Wacha also hasn't been stuck with a loss since June 22, winning seven straight decisions with a 2.40 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB over 60 innings since then. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Cleveland.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Cruises to 10th victory
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Wacha (10-6) earned the win over Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out nine batters over six scoreless innings.
The Royals built a 10-run lead through three frames, so Wacha didn't face much pressure in the contest. Still, he didn't let down his guard, yielding just four hits -- all of which were singles -- while tossing six scoreless frames for his fourth consecutive quality start. Wacha's nine punchouts were a season high, and he reached the double-digit win mark for the fifth time in his 12-year career.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Improves to 9-6
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Wacha (9-6) earned the win over St. Louis on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven innings.
Wacha served up a two-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt in the second inning but blanked the Cardinals from that point on. The veteran hurler notched 15 whiffs and tossed 62 of 92 pitches for strikes in the efficient outing, and he finished with his third straight quality start. Wacha has been very consistent for three-plus months, as he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs over his past 14 starts dating back to May 4. He owns a 2.59 ERA and an 8-2 record during that stretch.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Turns in quality start
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Wacha did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks over six innings against the Tigers on Sunday. He struck out two batters in the win.
Wacha struggled with his command and threw only 58 of 99 pitches for strikes. The four walks were the second most he's issued in a start this season behind only his May 9 outing against the Angels. Since the beginning of July, Wacha has produced four quality starts in six outings, going 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in the process. For the year, his ERA sits at 3.55 with a 93:35 K:BB through 20 starts. Wacha's next outing is projected to be at home against the Cardinals.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Hangs on for eighth win
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Wacha (8-6) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings in a 4-3 victory over the White Sox. He struck out five.
The veteran right-hander delivered his ninth quality start of the season on 89 pitches (57 strikes), but Wacha actually left the mound with the Royals down 2-1 before the offense put up a three spot in the top of the eighth to make him a winner. He incredibly hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May 4, posting a 2.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 60:21 K:BB through 70.1 innings over his last 12 outings despite missing most of June with a foot fracture. Wacha will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Red Sox.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Allows three homers
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Wacha did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing three hits on six hits and one walk over 4.2 innings while striking out one.
Wacha didn't have his best stuff Wednesday, surrendering a solo homer to Eugenio Suarez in the second inning and later giving up another two long balls, back-to-back, in the fourth to put Kansas City at a 3-1 deficit. The three home runs allowed marked a season high for the veteran right-hander, while the one strikeout was also his lowest total of the campaign. Wacha had gone at least five innings in 10 consecutive starts heading into Wednesday's matchup.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Cruises to easy win
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Wacha (7-6) allowed four hits and a walk over seven shutout frames Friday, striking out seven and earning a win over the White Sox.
Wacha gave up a leadoff double on the second pitch of the game but allowed just one other runner to reach scoring position during his outing. He retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Since giving up seven runs to the Rangers on May 4, Wacha hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start. During that 10-game stretch, he's 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA. Wacha dropped his season ERA down to 3.55 with an 85:28 K:BB through 96.1 innings. His next start is projected to be at home against the Diamondbacks.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Nabs win Wednesday in Game 2
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Wacha (6-6) earned the win over the Cardinals in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters over five innings.
It wasn't a smooth outing for Wacha, as he tossed only one 1-2-3 inning and needed 84 pitches to get through five frames. Kansas City's offense gave him ample support, but the right-hander nearly lost his chance at a victory when he gave up two runs in the bottom of the fifth to allow St. Louis to close the gap to 5-4. The three earned runs were the most Wacha has allowed since May 4 -- over his previous eight starts, he had posted a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 46.2 frames. Wacha's overall 3.83 ERA puts him on pace to log a third straight season with a sub-4.00 earned run average.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Royals-Cardinals postponed
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Wacha and the Royals won't play the Cardinals on Tuesday after the game was postponed due to inclement weather.
The game will be made up as a split doubleheader Wednesday. Wacha should start one of those contests, and Wednesday's originally scheduled starter, Alec Marsh, is likely to start the other contest.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Picks up fifth win
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Wacha (5-6) earned the win Wednesday over the Rays, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight over six innings.
Wacha gave up a first-inning home run to Isaac Paredes and settled in from there with another excellent start. He's now allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts and matched his season high with eight strikeouts. Wacha owns a 3.74 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 75:26 K:BB in 84.1 innings and lines up for a road start against the Cardinals next week.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Stuck with no-decision
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Wacha did not factor into the decision in a win over the Guardians on Thursday, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six.
Wacha loaded the bases in the second inning after walking two batters and hitting another one with a pitch, but the right-hander was able to work his way out of the jam and didn't surrender a run until the fifth when Daniel Schneemann got him for a sacrifice fly. Wacha has gotten little offensive support of late, failing to walk away with a win for the fourth consecutive start despite allowing two or fewer runs in each of those outings. Wacha actually hasn't surrendered more than two runs in seven straight starts, and he lowered his ERA to 3.91 with Thursday's performance.
