With Opening Day just over a month away, the San Diego Padres reportedly could look to add a finishing touch to their starting rotation.
And that last-minute addition could very well be former Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Michael Wacha, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“The Padres are monitoring the starting pitching market — both those on other teams and those that are still free agents,” Acee wrote Monday. “They have, according to sources, had recent contact with the agents for both Michael Wacha and Cole Hamels.”
Wacha, 31, is among the biggest question marks surrounding the free-agency market this offseason. During his one-year stop with the Red Sox, Wacha delivered a comeback-like campaign as the undisputed No. 1 of Alex Cora’s starting rotation. While much of Boston’s starting staff fell victim to a domino effect of various visits to the injured list, Wacha grew into the reliability man.
In 23 starts with the Red Sox, Wacha went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA, his lowest in four seasons. The right-hander also struck out 104 batters at a 20.2% rate with a 1.12 WHIP through 127 1/3 innings. That noteworthy level of production came with Wacha on a one-year deal as he looked to bolster his market value before entering the market.
If Wacha does pack his bags for the West Coast, he could reunite with former Red Sox teammate Xander Bogaerts, who landed an enormous 11-year deal with the Padres back in December.
Now, with players across the league starting to report to Spring Training, Wacha remains on the clock to secure a roster spot before the beginning of the 2023 season. Perhaps, like in Boston, Wacha signs elsewhere on a short-term agreement and revisits the market next offseason in hopes of securing a payday.
Last season, Padres pitchers notched a 3.81 ERA. which ranked 11th among all pitching staffs in Major League Baseball. That rose to 3.84 during the postseason when San Diego fell in the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
