It has become increasingly difficult to find bright spots from the 2022 Red Sox, but Michael Wacha’s career resurgence might top the list of positive developments.
The 31-year-old’s one-year, $7 million looks like one of Chaim Bloom’s shrewder moves, as the veteran right-hander has been Boston’s best starting pitcher this season. Wacha takes the ball Wednesday night in Minnesota looking to earn a 10th win for just the third time of his career and first since 2017.
The bottom-line numbers for Wacha are undeniable thus far. He’s 9-1 with a 2.53 ERA, the latter being a career-best. His 165 ERA+ (100 being league average) is also easily the best of his career and a huge improvement on the career 97 ERA+ he owned at the beginning of the season. Wacha finally looks like the pitcher who burst onto the scene with the Cardinals in 2013 and who was an All-Star in 2015 en route to a career-high 17 wins.
It couldn’t come at a better time for Wacha, either. While he’s on the wrong side of 30, it’s quite clear he’s got plenty left in the tank, and he’s set to enter free agency once again. After playing on one-year deals for his entire career, it’s worth wondering whether he could earn something with a little more stability on the market this winter.
The Red Sox certainly have roster holes to fill this offseason, and Wacha has made his case. And if he had his preference, it sounds like the righty prefers to stick in Boston.
“I’ve loved it here. … It’s been a very positive experience,” Wacha said Tuesday, per The Boston Globe. “I’d most definitely like to stay. I love the city; my family loves the city. Yeah, I can see myself staying here.”
The Red Sox probably should do all they can to make sure that happens, at least within reason. Right now, the only two perceived rotation certainties are Chris Sale and Nick Pivetta. Sale should be healthy after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign, but given his history, it would be wise to temper expectations when it comes to his workload.
Wacha certainly will be in line for a raise from his $7 million salary this season. The Red Sox have the money to get it done, and CEO Sam Kennedy made it sound like the club will be willing to spend this winter.
Where it will get interesting, though, is just how much Wacha is actually worth. The traditional counting numbers paint a favorable picture of his performance, but his 3.83 FIP and an expected batting average in the 28th percentile seem to indicate he hasn’t pitched quite as well as the numbers indicate. In his defense, he’s been good at inducing weak contact, so we should be careful when throwing around a word like “lucky” to describe his season.
Aside from one injured list stint, he’s been largely durable. He’s a veteran who knows how to pitch, and he’s largely liked in the Red Sox clubhouse. The Red Sox need innings somewhere, and Wacha can provide them. From the outside, at least, it seems like an extension of this relationship would benefit both sides.
