Michael Wacha, Padres Agree to 1-Year Contract; Reportedly Includes $26M Guaranteed

The San Diego Padres added depth to their starting rotation Thursday, announcing the signing of Michael Wacha to a one-year contract.

According to ESPN.com's Jeff Passan, Wacha's deal includes stipulations that guarantee he will make $26 million.

Wacha spent the 2022 season pitching for the Boston Red Sox and has also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays in his career.

The 31-year-old is best known for his time on the Cardinals from 2013 through 2019. He was an All-Star in 2015 and was named the National League Championship Series MVP in 2013 as a rookie for a squad that lost to the Red Sox in the World Series.

He won both of his starts in that NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers and didn't allow a single run in 13.2 innings of work.

He finished his lone All-Star campaign with a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 181.1 innings, but consistency became an issue after such a fast start to his career. Wacha posted an ERA of below 4.00 just one more time from 2016 through 2021 and bounced around to three different teams in the last three years.

To his credit, he returned to solid form in 2022 with the Red Sox with a 3.32 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 104 strikeouts in 127.1 innings.

San Diego likely won't get the version of Wacha who dominated the Dodgers on the pressure-packed NLCS stage from earlier in his career, but he provides depth and playoff experience for a team that is in championship-or-bust mode after losing in the NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres have Yu Darvish as their ace ahead of Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell, but Wacha could slide in behind that trio or even serve as a long reliever if Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo remain as the fourth and fifth starters.

Manager Bob Melvin told reporters a decision is yet to be made about whether the team will use a six-man rotation.