The Boston Red Sox could see one of their more reliable starters from last season on the move.
Despite a bounce back year with the Red Sox in 2022, Michael Wacha has remained up for grabs on the Major League Baseball free agency market through mid-January. He made 23 starts, posting an 11-2 record and pitched 127.1 innings -- Wacha's highest total since 2017 and the second most in Boston's rotation. The 31-year-old also recorded a 3.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and struck out 104 batters.
On Thursday, MLB Insiders Mark Feinsand and Ron Darling tossed out a few potential landing spots for the right-handed veteran in 2023.
"He is coming off a good year," Feinsand said, per MLB Network video. "I think there are some teams out there. The (Minnesota) Twins are a team. We just saw them spend a lot of money on Carlos Correa. They're clearly looking to get back to the postseason. They could use some help in the rotation. The (Baltimore) Orioles are another team. ... 83 wins last year, they talked about having some money to spend. ... I think a guy like Wacha would be good to help stabilize that rotation."
While Wacha has battled through a series of injuries dating back to his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, the former All-Star did show an ability to provide both upside and reliability in Boston. And for any team with aspirations of an October hunt in 2023, adding Wacha on a short-term deal comes with little risk and potentially a high reward.
"San Francisco (Giants) would be a nice place I think for him," Darling said. "They have enough pitching but I think it would give them great depth. He also would be one of those starters that they just do so well at identifying how you get people out, giving you the blueprint. ... And I think Wacha would thrive there with (Logan) Webb at the top of that rotation."
Darling added: "He had some games last year in Boston that were just magical games."
The Twins, Orioles and Giants all came up short of the playoffs last season. Minnesota's pitching ranked 19th in the league in ERA (3.98) while Baltimore's ranked 17th (3.97 ERA) and San Francisco's 13th (3.85).
