Re-Grading every Red Sox offseason move two months in

Red Sox sign Michael Wacha to a 1-year, $7 million deal

Michael Wacha came to the Red Sox on a one-year, $7 million deal, and all he’s done this season has been the team’s most consistent starter. He leads the staff with a 2.43 ERA, a total that would rank 7th in the AL if he had enough innings to qualify. He’s also allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his eight starts, a remarkable achievement for a player who was brought in as an afterthought.

The surface level numbers point to an easy A grade, but the underlying numbers point to serious trouble. His 6.0 K/9 is easily a career low, and his 3.1 BB/9 is his highest total since 2018. His success is largely on the back of an abnormally low .198 BABIP. Nothing about his rate stats point to even an average pitcher, most notably his whiff rate (9th percentile) and  his chase rate (21st percentile). His fastball and curveball spin rate are also dismal, making his low K rate entirely  believable.

Overall, though, a pitcher’s job is to prevent runs, and Wacha has been in one of the best in baseball in that category. Trouble may be on the horizon, but it’s hard to qualify Wacha’s contract thus far as anything other than a rousing success.

Grade: B+