Prior to veteran pitcher Michael Wacha's arrival last month, the Padre's front office were not sure which direction their pitching plans were going. The positive statistics from last season obviously made them want to run it back with a six-man rotation but they also lost some key firepower during free agency. However, they were able to bring in Wacha right before Spring Training and he helped their wishes come true.
At 31-years-old, Wacha has put in his seasons in the MLB and has a good amount of experience. He posted a 3.32 ERA last season with the Boston Red Sox and started in 23 matches for them. Unfortunately, the problem with Wacha is that he can never seem to stay healthy and has suffered consistent injuries since the 2017 season.
For that reason, the Friars have inserted a number of team and player options into his contract so that he can opt out after different seasons if either party is no longer happy with the fit.
It seems as though Wacha is nothing but happy though when it comes to being a part of San Diego's squad. He has been extremely vocal about his excitement to hit the field with all of their talent and shares similar views for the team as Padres owner Peter Seidler. Wacha joined Sammy Lev of '97.3 The Fan' and compared the clubhouse to the 2013 Cardinals team that was a part of for a World Series run.
"We had a really good squad there and we were winning a lot of games and made a heck of a run there in that postseason," said Wacha. "It's been a fight to get back there and it's always on my mind. It's just a bunch of guys in here that want to get out there and work. We've got some studs in here, they don't just show up for the game. We've got high expectations and I think that's a good thing."
The word championship has been surrounding all Padres news recently and as the season opener gets closer and closer, all eyes will be on the squad to live up to that hype. If he remains healthy, Wacha will definitely help San Diego get there and finish what he couldn't back in 2013.
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