The Boston Red Sox are closing in on a deal with free agent right-hander Michael Wacha, according to multiple reports.
The 30-year-old Wacha spent last season with the Tampa Bay Rays and went 3-5 with a 5.05 ERA in 29 appearances (23 starts).
Overall, Wacha is 63-48 with a 4.14 ERA in 202 appearances (181 starts) over nine major league seasons. He played his first seven campaigns with the St. Louis Cardinals (2013-19) before spending 2020 with the New York Mets and then moving on to the Rays.
Wacha had his best season in 2015 when he went 17-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 starts for the Cardinals and made the National League All-Star team. He also earned double-digit victories in 2017 when he went 12-9 with a 4.13 ERA in 30 starts.
Wacha also has a 4-3 record and 5.21 ERA in eight career postseason appearances (six starts). He was torched for six runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings of relief by the Red Sox in his lone playoff outing for the Rays in the Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
Boston is in the market for starting pitchers after losing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez through free agency. Rodriguez signed a five-year, $77 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.
–Field Level Media