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The Baltimore Orioles, after a putrid past few seasons, appear to be coming into their own as a plethora of young prospects, led by Adley Rutschman begin to break through into the majors. Thus, Baltimore entered the offseason looking to plug the biggest hole in their roster – their pitching. They have targeted Noah Syndergaard as a result; however, Syndergaard has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, prompting the need for the Orioles to look at other options.
Enter Michael Wacha.
Now that the other, mid-cost starting pitching dominoes have fallen, Wacha's market could move quickly, per Jon Morosi, with the Orioles still in pursuit of the 31-year old right-handed hurler.
It had been a rough past few seasons for Michael Wacha ERA-wise following his departure from the St. Louis Cardinals, having bounced around with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets. Wacha then signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Boston Red Sox and he proceeded to turn in a solid season, making 23 starts for 127.1 innings good for a 3.32 ERA.
One point of concern for Wacha will be his declining strikeout rate and declining fastball velocity. Those are usually worrying signs that a pitcher is in decline. Nonetheless, the Orioles need pitchers who can soak up innings (Wacha would have been second in the team in innings pitched) and the 31-year old fits the bill.
In 2022, the Orioles were in playoff contention for much of the season, falling short by only three games in the AL Wild Card chase. Michael Wacha may not be the piece that puts them over the top, but he could very well be enough of a difference to strengthen the Orioles' 2023 playoff chase.
