With spring training just days away, Wacha remains unsigned
With spring training for pitchers and catchers just days away, free-agent pitcher Michael Wacha remains unsigned.
Wacha, the former Pleasant Grove standout and Texas A&M hurler, is seeking a two-year deal worth roughly $30 million. As of today, no teams have reached a deal with the 6-foot-6 righthander who pitched for the Boston Red Sox last season before becoming a free agent.
Wacha’s two-year deal would trail only Justin Verlander and Nathan Eovaldi for the largest two-year deal given to a starting pitcher this winter, and clearly Verlander isn’t a relevant point of comparison in this instance. Generally speaking, second- and third-tier starters who’ve signed two-year pacts in free agency have landed in the $16 million to $25 million range over the past several years.
Wacha is the last remaining unsigned free agent pitcher from the Major League’s Top 50 list. Most clubs have been offering the 31-yearold pitcher a two-year dead in the $16 million range, several newspapers have reported. His marketability is measured at just under $12 million a season, although he has been seeking $15 million.
The Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles have been reported as teams to have shown the biggest interest in Wacha, although the Twins’ interest came before they acquired Pablo Lopez from the Florida Marlins. The Orioles have seemingly maintained an interest in Wacha throughout the winter, but it doesn’t appear as if talks have ever gotten particularly serious between the two parties, though that can obviously change quickly.
Baltimore does still make a bit of sense as a landing spot for Wacha. They came into the off-season looking for starting pitching, and have so far added only Kyle Gibson on a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency, as well
as a recent trade for Oakland’s Cole Irvin, so they could be in the mix for another arm. Speculatively, a return to the Red Sox could make a bit of sense for Wacha, while the Angels could be a fit too if they plan to utilize a six-man rotation this season.
Wacha, a 10-year veteran, is coming off a strong campaign for Boston, where he threw 127 1/3 innings of 3.32 ERA ball over 23 starts. His record was 11-2 for the lastplace Red Sox.
Wacha’s desire for a twoyear deal seems reasonable enough, particularly given how well starting pitchers have tended to fare this winter. There are some injury concerns there which may give a few teams some pause, although a two-year pact is hardly an onerous long-term commitment. He’s landed on the injured list four times due to shoulder injuries throughout his career, including a monthlong absence this past season.
It’s possible a number of teams are more interested in Wacha as a one-year option, in which they can see whether or not his 2022 performance can be repeated without having to commit to an additional year.
That sort of deal could interest a number of rebuilding teams as well, as a strong start would turn Wacha into a solid trade deadline option.
Wacha’s last three deals have been one-year contracts, including a guaranteed $7 million last year with Boston. He also had one-year deals with the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays.