Michael Wacha Career Stats: How does the experienced pitcher's acquisition affect Padres' rotation?

As Spring Training drew nearer, pitcher Michael Wacha was one of the few quality free agents yet to have a home for the impending season. That changed this week when the 6'6 right-hander signed with one of the most exciting teams in baseball.

"Michael Wacha is signing with the Padres, per @Ken_Rosenthal" - @ B/R Walk-Off

Wacha was born in Iowa, but grew up in Texas. He attended Texas A&M University, starring as one of the best pitchers on the team. In 2012, Wacha was drafted as the 19th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his first season with the Cardinals, he made 9 starts and finished with an ERA of 2.78 and a 4-1 record. He remained in St. Louis for the next seven seasons, becoming one of the top pitchers for the team.

After brief stints with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets, Wacha joined the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2022 season.

It turned out to be his best season since his rookie campaign. He started 23 games, compiling a record of 11-2 and an ERA of 3.32. He also pitched a complete game shutout last June for the Sox.

In February 2023, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Michael Wacha had signed with the San Diego Padres, pending a physical. The specifics of the deal are not yet known.

Although the Padres overcame a lot of naysayers when they reached the NLCS last year, pitching was still an area of concern. In the 12 games that made up the Padres' postseason, the starting rotation had an ERA of 4.20, which was comfortably the highest.

"That's a lot of Ks! Congrats to Michael Wacha on strikeout No. 1,000!" - @ Red Sox

Wacha will join a Padres rotation that features Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. Darvish was recently re-signed to a 6-year deal. Last year, Musgrove posted an ERA of just 2.93, the lowest of his career.

Michael Wacha is the newest member of baseball's most exciting team

The San Diego Padres gave fans a taste of what's to come with their NLCS appearance last season. The acquisition of Wacha's former teammate Xander Bogaerts has made them one of the most lethal threats offensively.

Bogaerts will join an order that is set to include NL MVP runner-up Manny Machado and 2021 NL home run champ Fernando Tatis Jr, who missed the entirety of last season. Wacha can hope for more run support than what he got during his time with the Red Sox.