Royals acquire their new lead-off hitter (Diaz) and replacement for Wacha (Littell) for a total out of pocket cost below what Wacha would have cost in salary himself (had he exercised his option, which he probably won't). This allows the Royals to dedicate payroll resources to other areas of the team that need help over the next few years. The Royals have Witt Jr. and excellent catching, but they could arguably use upgrades at every other position (even Pasquantino, who only hit 108 wRC+ in 2024). They give up their top catching prospect, which is actually fine for KC considering all the catching within their system, a reliever and a far-off SS prospect. It's a high risk, high upside haul for the Rays, but that's a risk they can afford to take since they already have the #1 Farm System. Rays have lost their broadcasting deal and stadium in the past 2 weeks, severely impacting next year's revenue stream, and can't afford to add to a .500 team from 2024, so instead they go the other way and get a little worse in 2025 so that they are even better in their next window (which opens in 2026).