Detroit Tigers Named Landing Spot for Underrated Veteran Ace
While the 'pitching chaos' experiment was fun to watch, the Detroit Tigers should probably focus on bringing in some more reliable starting pitching this offseason outside of just Tarik Skubal.
As a team that has constantly been overlooked, the Tigers might be the perfect landing spot for a journeyman veteran that has consistently put up solid numbers without being rewarded for it. Kansas City Royals ace Michael Wacha is jus the guy for the job.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic examined the upcoming free agency market and decided that it was time for Wacha to get his multi-year contract, listing Detroit as a potential suitor along the way.
The Royals gave the 32-year-old a $16 million player option this past season, but he is expected to decline that in search of a longterm deal on the heels of his third-consecutive stellar campaign.
Wacha was once a young St. Louis Cardinals with a lot of promise, making his first and only All-Star appearance at the age of just 23.
Years of inconsistent play and injury troubles over the next few seasons rightfully caused excitement to wane, however.
By the end of his time as a Cardinal, he was reduced to splitting appearances between the starting rotation and the bullpen.
Since then, he's signed five consecutive one-year deals that have had mixed results.
Between 2019 and 2021 he posted just a 5.11 ERA. It makes sense that he couldn't land a longterm deal, rather acting as a stopgap on pitching staffs for teams hoping to compete.
Since then, however, he's turned a corner and looks ready to be a mainstay in a rotation again. It's getting later in his career, but that might actually be perfect for a young team like the Tigers. He's certainly been around the ringer and can serve as a guide for their emerging staff.
Over the last three years, Wacha has averaged a 3.30 ERA. It's been done with extreme consistency, as that number has ended each season with a 0.13 margin of error.
He doesn't strike a lot of batters out, but also rarely walks them. He also doesn't allow a ton of solid contact.
The biggest hiccup is that he has struggled in the playoffs a bit in his career, which might take some teams out of the running.
For Detroit, though, he'd be worth the risk at his projected contract value of three years, $54 million. This is a match made in heaven, should he do the expected thing and opt out of his current option.
