Heading into the 2021 off-season, the Royals will be looking to add a starting pitcher or two. I believe the Royals should open up their wallets slightly on a starting pitcher. I honestly think Michael Wacha would fit the Royals starting pitching needs perfectly. First off, Royals manager Mike Matheny and Michael Wacha spent time together in St. Louis for five seasons. This means Matheny knows what type of player the Royals would be getting in Wacha. Second, Wacha has playoff experience. As a Royals fan, you might be asking yourself, why would Kansas City bring in a pitcher that has playoff experience but the Royals probably won’t make the playoffs in 2021? It’s really quite simple. If a player has playoff experience, and a team that is looking to make a playoff run in the later months of the season, they will be looking to possibly add a starting pitcher. This is good for a team like the Royals who are looking to acquire a prospect or two. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the return the Royals would get for Wacha would be too great; but, I do however believe it could help them down the road. Now, moving on to the potential Wacha contract. To start off, I believe it will be a one-year deal. Unfortunately, I believe it will be a little bit pricey for a Royals team that is rebuilding, but not too pricey. It is important to remember that Ian Kennedy’s contract came off the books at the conclusion of the 2020 season. The past two seasons, the Royals have brought in Homer Bailey and Matt Harvey on minor league deals. The Royals were able to flip Bailey to the Athletics in 2019 for a speedy Infielder in Kevin Merrell. I believe the Royals could get Wacha on a one-year deal worth about $2.5 or $3 million dollars. I believe the deal would include incentives. Those numbers might not seem very pricey, even for the Royals; but in 2020, Wacha had a down year with a 6.62 ERA in eight games started. It’s important to remember that those eight starts Wacha made were during a shortened season. I believe if Wacha were able to play a full season, his stats would have been much better. Other than his down year, I believe Wacha has had a decent career to this point with ERA’s under 5 except in 2016 and 2020. If I were the Royals, Wacha would be one of the top starting pitchers on my radar to sign heading into the off-season.
