Wacha again shows Trade Deadline value, but can Royals afford to deal him?

DENVER -- This is not where the Royals expected to be.

With a 3-1 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Friday night, on the heels of a deflating defeat in Minnesota the day before, Kansas City finds itself 19 games under .500 as we begin August.

For a club that entered the season with a perennial MVP candidate in Bobby Witt Jr., young and rising power potential in the lineup and a strong starting rotation, the expectation was that the Royals would compete for an American League Central title.

Instead, with Monday’s Trade Deadline looming, they find themselves in a strange position. Injuries and underperformance have derailed the Royals’ season, and the win-loss record suggests they’d be sellers. But they also know that on paper, this could be a competitive team in 2027.

What transpired in Colorado on Friday was a familiar sight, one that served as a microcosm of the complicated situation Kansas City finds itself in.

Starter Michael Wacha pitched well, but his lineup offered little support. Entering the contest, Wacha had received 3.1 runs of support per start over his 21 outings this season, the lowest figure for any starting pitcher in the Majors.

Wacha is an attractive trade target given his experience, a 3.51 ERA this season and a reasonable contract -- he’s making $18 million this year and $14 million in 2027, and has a $14 million club option for '28.

But the Royals know that he could be key to a 2027 rotation that will be without Cole Ragans (UCL repair), Ryan Bergert (UCL reconstruction) and potentially Stephen Kolek (right flexor strain) through a significant portion of next season.

Not only that, left-hander Kris Bubic -- an All-Star last year who is also currently on the IL -- is scheduled to be a free agent after this season.

What is a team to do?

Wacha has certainly improved his trade stock of late. After his six solid frames at the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the Majors on Friday, in which he yielded three runs (one earned) on five hits while walking none and striking out seven, the 35-year-old right-hander owns a 1.89 ERA over his last three starts.

Friday’s performance was Wacha’s 15th quality start of 2026, most in the AL and only one behind the MLB leader -- the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara. Wacha is also durable, having thrown a league-leading 138 1/3 innings this season.

With starting pitching always in demand, particularly during Deadline season, Wacha could be a fallback option for clubs that don't land upper-echelon starters on the market such as Tarik Skubal, Kevin Gausman and Freddy Peralta.

As if starters weren’t already at a premium, recent developments have only underscored that reality. The Rays, who have the best record in the AL and are rumored to be seeking a starter, had to place star left-hander Shane McClanahan on the injured list a few hours before Wacha took the mound.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo has said that the club will need to balance the view of next season with the potential for upgrades to the upper levels of the farm system and the Major League club now.

“Those [are] two guys we’re going to count on,” Picollo said of Wacha and Seth Lugo, who is in much the same position. “We already have needs in our rotation. We’ll be open-minded to anything. But we have to be very, very pointed in what we want to get out of any one of those two. … With that being said, teams want to talk about them -- it’s never going to hurt to at least listen.”

Despite the inevitable speculation, Wacha -- who has never been traded over his 14-year MLB career -- isn’t fazed.

“I really don’t think about it too much,” Wacha said. “Obviously, being around, seeing when the Trade Deadline is and all that, you’re aware of it. But I’ve learned to not really put too much thought into it.

“It’s something that’s out of your control, and I try to worry about things that I can control, like going out there every fifth day and doing my job for the Royals.”

That is something he’s certainly been doing, and doing well. And it’s been a boon for a Kansas City rotation that has been decimated by injuries.

But the question over the next couple of days is: Will Wacha be doing that for the Royals the next time his turn comes up in the rotation?