Who knew?
Kansas City was once the Siberia of baseball. Free agents only came here if they had nowhere else to go. The Royals got all sorts of veterans looking for one last chance to prove themselves after injuries and bad seasons. Chuck Knoblauch. Juan Gonzalez. Scott Elarton. You never got the feeling any of these guys wanted to be here, only that they still wanted to be in Major League Baseball. And the Royals were only barely Major League.
But the Royals started winning and spending money in 2013, and lo and behold, players wanted to come here. Not top-shelf free agents necessarily, but players coming off good seasons who had several bidders. Omar Infante. Jason Vargas. Kendrys Morales. Edinson Volquez. Those players helped win two pennants and a title.
Time is a flat circle, and for a few years there, the Royals were back in the dumps. The team had to rebuild after losing its championship core, ownership changed hands, and the Royals were back to signing the Billy Hamiltons and Maikel Francos of the world. Then last off-season, the Royals spent $110 million on free agents – more than any team except the Dodgers – plus they inked star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a franchise-record deal. The result was a 30-win improvement in one season, giving the Royals a surprising playoff berth, their first in nine seasons.
The 86-win season could be written off as a fluke, a one-off, and the team could have gone back to its frugal ways. But a funny thing happened during their post-season run – the Royals became an attractive place to play!
“It has been great here in Kansas City,” said Wacha before his Game 3 start in the ALDS. Wacha and his fellow starting pitchers – Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, and Brady Singer – could be frequently seen throughout the season congregating in the dugout. The pitchers would discuss grip, strategies, and mechanics, much to the delight of pitching coach Brian Sweeney.
After each start, every Royals starting pitcher has a player-led discussion. It generally occurs near the dugout steps and is a time for reflection and support. The small group includes Lugo, Wacha, Singer, Cole Ragans, Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright.
“As soon as the starter is done with his day, I don’t even get a chance to shake the guy’s hand,” Sweeney said with a smile. “They are talking about the outing and coming together to pick each other up. I couldn’t be more excited about the culture they are creating as a starting rotation.”
Clubhouse culture is hard to cultivate and predict, but it is a real thing. Winning helps a lot too – you tend to get along with co-workers when things are going well and everyone’s in a good mood. And the Royals have seemed to foster a positive workplace environment with collaboration and cooperation. That makes players want to play here.
Of course, it wouldn’t mean anything if ownership was too stingy to pay players. Owner John Sherman could have skimped on payroll this year, content to live off the excitement of this season. Instead, the Royals signed Wacha to a three-year $51 million deal that gives their starting rotation a chance to again be one of the best in baseball next season.
It’s a deal that seems mutually advantageous. Wacha could have tested free agency, but chose to re-up with the Royals before the end of the exclusive negotiating window. If you look at recent comparable pitchers like Miles Mikolas, who signed a three-year, $57 million deal with the Cardinals, or Chris Bassitt, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Blue Jays, it’s not hard to imagine Wacha getting more than the Royals offered on the open market.
But Wacha chose to give up a bit of money, presumably because he likes it here. And it’s not just the BBQ. The team is a winner, and should always have a chance to win as long as they have MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr. in the lineup. Ownership is putting up the financial resources to compete. The clubhouse, led by the steady hand of Matt Quatraro, is a great environment to work.
This is no guarantee the Royals will be successful down the line. Wacha is 33 years old and is coming off a season in which he pitched his most innings in a season since 2015. The Royals smartly built the deal so that the final year has a lower base salary with incentives baked in, so that if Wacha has a typical player decline, his pay will not be out of whack with his performance.
But being successful on the field, having a reputation of being a good place to play with fair pay gives the Royals more options. They don’t have to overpay to convince players to come here. They’ll want to come here. And playing here can be fun, as Wacha put it.
“It’s been a lot of fun getting to be in this community over the course of the summer. I feel like they’ve embraced me and my family. It’s been great. … Just playing in front of this fan base throughout the course of the season has been a lot of fun. They’re very supportive and want the best for us. Always cheering us on. That’s all you can ask for as a player.”