Padres, Michael Wacha agree to deal, per sources: What does the starter bring to San Diego?

Free-agent right-handed starter Michael Wacha agreed to sign with the Padres, pending a physical, major-league sources told The Athletic on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

Wacha’s agreement with the Padres has a complex structure that could earn him more than $24 million over four years, sources said. The deal includes player and team options that protect both Wacha’s upside and downside while lowering his AAV for luxury-tax purposes.
Wacha, who is entering his age-31 season, produced a 3.32 ERA in 127 1/3 innings last season for the Red Sox.
He had a combined 5.11 ERA in the three previous seasons pitching for the Cardinals, Mets and Rays.
Wacha spent the first seven years of his MLB career in St. Louis after the team selected him at No. 19 in the 2012 MLB Draft. He was named the National League Championship Series MVP in 2013.

Wacha agreement with Padres has complex structure that could earn him more than $24M over four years, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal includes player and team options that protect both Wacha’s upside and downside while lowering his AAV for luxury-tax purposes. Pending physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 15, 2023

What does Wacha bring to the Padres?

The Padres went into last summer facing significant uncertainty in their rotation. They have since signed Joe Musgrove to a five-year extension, extended Yu Darvish through 2028, re-upped with Nick Martinez, added Seth Lugo and reached an agreement with Wacha.

In the long term, the rotation outlook appears brighter than it did even a month ago. San Diego will continue to have Darvish and Musgrove fronting the staff for multiple years. The same could be said of the short term. Signing Wacha will help the Padres address obvious depth issues while potentially allowing them to open the season with six starters. — Lin

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(Photo: Paul Rutherford / USA Today)