Would Red Sox impending free-agent pitcher Michael Wacha return to Boston next season? It certainly appears so after his final press conference of the season.
The 31-year-old was asked about his future after Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he allowed five earned runs in four innings.
"Like I said before, I love the guys here, the staff here, pitching at Fenway," Wacha said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "There’s no better place to pitch, I feel like. It would be a cool place to pitch again next year but time will tell.”
Wacha was one of the best signings of the offseason a year ago, inking a one-year $7 million deal last winter. He went on to post an 11-2 record with a 3.32 ERA, 104-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .233 batting average against in 127 1/3 innings across 23 starts.
His season-long performance warrants a sizeable raise, though his poor underlying metrics paired with two stints on the injured list could make for a more reasonable investment.
Wacha has said all of the right things but he'll likely value a combination of wanting to contend and maximizing his income.
Despite the last-place finish, Boston has all the pieces to compete in 2023 and the money to fortify some weakened areas. Adding Wacha to next season's rotation at the right price would be a strong step forward to building a pitching staff in desperate need of a boost.
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