The Kansas City Royals kicked off a week-long road trip Monday night as they faced the AL Wild Card-leading Tampa Bay Rays. The Boys in Blue made the most of their four team hits, scoring two runs off the back of some opportunistic moments from both Michael Massey and Isaac Collins, who each scored a run. The Royals have now won four of their last five games, with the two most recent victories coming despite Bobby Witt Jr.'s absence due to a nagging knee injury.
The bigger story of the night, though, was 34-year-old right-hander Michael Wacha throwing a one-run, seven-inning performance, just one pitch short of 100. He tacked on five strikeouts and walked one batter, further proving his worth among a KC starting rotation that has been rocky of late due to injuries and poor play from guys called upon to start.
Wacha has been the guy to steady the ship this season, starting a team-leading 16 games and pitching 101 innings. He also leads the Royals in strikeouts (77), ERA among starters (3.48), and an incredibly impressive 1.16 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). As the trade deadline nears, shipping Wacha off at his highest value with still another year of cost control on his contract is a move worth considering for GM J.J. Picollo. But the thought of not having Wacha in the Royals lineup for the remainder of the season and beyond is a scary one, considering how little faith that the unit has instilled.
Royals should not give Wacha up for anything less than a haul at MLB's trade deadline
While Seth Lugo just returned from a concussion and has played well this season, he certainly has not been fully himself all year. And manager Matt Quatraro's other ace, Cole Ragans, remains sidelined due to an elbow injury that may have been more severe than previously thought, as he continues to face setbacks in his recovery.
Second-year starter Noah Cameron remains a bright spot of the Royals' future, as does Kris Bubic, who is also hurt with an elbow injury at the moment and has been out for over a month. All that said, the Royals are without two of their starters, Lugo is struggling relative to his ceiling, and Cameron is still finding his groove as a young 26-year-old.
At 34-years old himself, Wacha is no spring chicken, but for a pitcher that is still smack dab in your prime. He's been an above-average and at times in the past nearly elite pitcher in this league, and while those days may be over, he still provides a good arm almost every time he steps onto the mound. Unless Kansas City is offered an absolute bevy of picks and/or a proven starter, they should avoid trading Wacha, as he projects to be a valuable piece for this franchise for years to come.
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