The Kansas City Royals made the playoffs in 2024 largely due to the strength of their starting rotation. So far this offseason, the Royals are prioritizing keeping their starting rotation intact. On Saturday the Royals re-signed starting pitcher Michael Wacha to a 3-year, $51 million contract that will keep the pitcher in Kansas City until at least 2027. The deal also includes a club-option for the 2028 season if the Royals want to bring him back for another year. Wacha was likely going to decline a $16 million player option on Monday and would have become a free agent, however both sides clearly had interest in a reunion and they didn’t wait until the start of free agency to get a deal done. The 32-year-old pitcher started 29 games and threw 166 innings with a 3.35 earned run average for the Royals in 2024, while also starting two playoff games for the Royals in the ALDS against the Yankees. With the re-signing of Wacha, the Royals are hoping he will continue to perform at a high level and stay healthy going into his mid-30’s, which is traditionally when pitchers begin to decline. However, those 166 innings thrown by Wacha are his highest total in a season since 2017, so he doesn’t have a lot of innings on his arm. Barring any major trades, the Royals top 4 starting pitchers going into 2025 are set with Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Wacha all coming back. Alec Marsh also will be under contract for the 2025 season after having a solid year at the back of the Royals rotation. The Royals may still seek to upgrade the 5th spot in the rotation if they don’t trust Marsh to last for an entire season. The Royals may also look for a swing-type pitcher who can start and pitch out of the bullpen. A reunion with pitcher Michael Lorenzen could make sense for the Royals, as he was solid after coming over from Texas in a mid-season trade. After making the playoffs in 2024, free agents are likely going to see the Royals as a more attractive destination. Michael Wacha could have waited a few more days to see if another team would offer more money, however he clearly valued staying in Kansas City. Wacha will now try to help the Royals take the next step toward becoming a title contender.