Potential Red Sox Reunion No Longer Option After Contract News

It’s unknown if the Red Sox, who need starting pitching help, were interested in possibly bringing back Michael Wacha.

But if Boston was intrigued by the reunion idea, it will have to wipe it off its list of potential offseason moves.

Wacha and the Royals agreed on a three-year contract that includes a fourth-year club option, per a report Sunday from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The new deal reportedly replaced the two-year, $32 million contract that the right-hander signed with Kansas City in December of last year.

It’s easy to understand why the Royals were keen on locking up Wacha long-term. The 33-year-old pitched 166 2/3 innings last season — the most since his All-Star 2015 season — and logged a 13-8 record with a 3.35 ERA. The 2012 first-round pick will continue to round out a very competitive starting rotation in KC that also features Brady Singer and 2024 All-Stars Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo.

Wacha had a career resurgence in Boston after struggling upon leaving St. Louis, where he pitched the first six seasons of his MLB career. The Red Sox watched Wacha post an 11-2 record with a 3.32 ERA over 127 1/3 innings in 2022. The Iowa native left Boston after only one season to sign a free-agent contract with the San Diego Padres in February 2023.

Fortunately for Craig Breslow and company, there figure to be a handful of above-average starters on the open market this offseason.