Red Sox sign Wacha to 1-year deal reportedly worth $7M

The Boston Red Sox signed free-agent right-hander Michael Wacha to a one-year contract, Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom announced Saturday.

The deal is worth $7 million, sources told the Boston Globe's Alex Speier.

Wacha spent the 2021 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays, authoring a 5.05 ERA and 4.47 FIP over 124 2/3 innings split between 23 starts and six relief appearances.

The former All-Star burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2013, winning NLCS MVP while leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series. Over seven years with the Cardinals, Wacha posted a 4.14 ERA and 3.96 FIP before reaching free agency after the 2019 season.

The 30-year-old then signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets but struggled to a 6.62 ERA and 5.25 FIP across seven starts and one relief appearance.

Wacha joins a starting staff slated to include Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, and Tanner Houck.

The Red Sox are dealing with the departure of left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed a four-year, $77-million deal with the Detroit Tigers earlier in November.