Report: Padres Signing Michael Wacha

According to Ken Rosenthal, the San Diego Padres are signing starting pitcher Michael Wacha. The 31-year-old posted a 3.32 ERA in over 127 innings for the Boston Red Sox.

Wacha was the best remaining starter on the market and will give Bob Melvin even more pitching depth heading into Spring Training action. He was reportedly asking for $30 million from teams but recently got more realistic with his asking price, according to the Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee.

The Wacha signing should allow the Padres to start the season with a six-man rotation, which is something Melvin didn’t commit to when he spoke to the media on Monday, essentially saying that they would only expand the rotation if there was the talent do so.

Wacha has reached the 120 inning threshold all three times in his last three full seasons so he could end up being the Padres fourth or fifth starter alongside Nick Martinez at the back of the rotation if he stays healthy.

Seth Lugo was brought in earlier this offseason with the chance of earning a spot in the rotation. He’ll obviously still get that chance but this signing probably means Lugo will head to the bullpen at some point this season if Martinez, Wacha, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell stay healthy.

Leave your thoughts on the Wacha signing in the comments below!