3 former Red Sox players that could return to Boston this offseason

3) Michael Wacha

The Red Sox signed Michael Wacha in the 2021 offseason when his value was extremely low. He was coming off back-to-back down years with the Mets and Rays the two seasons prior, and was looking to replace Eduardo Rodriguez in Boston's rotation.

While the right-hander did miss time due to a pair of injuries, when he was healthy, he was great. In 23 starts with the Red Sox he posted a 3.32 ERA in 127 1/3 innings of work. He's never been a huge strikeout guy but he located extremely well and limited home runs at a decent clip. Wacha was one bright spot in an awful rotation overall.

The Red Sox inexplicably signed Corey Kluber while letting Wacha go to San Diego. We know how Kluber turned out in Boston, and Wacha continued to flourish. He missed more time due to injury which remains a very obvious concern, but in the 24 starts he was able to make, the 32-year-old posted a 3.22 ERA in 134 1/3 innings pitched. He once again proved to be a bright spot in a disappointing year for his team.

With Wacha you know what you're going to get. He probably won't give Boston 30+ starts, but he can give 20-25 and give them a chance to win a large majority of them. He's not an ace, nor should he be treated like one. Sticking Wacha in the middle of the rotation while adding another high-end arm would suddenly transform this rotation to an awful one to one that could maybe do some things.

The Red Sox need to add multiple starters for the team to even dream of competing in 2024. Wacha should not be the best one, but he'd be a quality option for Breslow to target.