St. Louis Cardinals Open to Trading Michael Wacha
St. Louis Cardinals have floated starting pitcher Michael Wacha in trade talks.
The St. Louis Cardinals could be trading a former top-prospect this off-season. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, they are open to trading Michael Wacha. Rosenthal does not state whether any deals are imminent, but it is still a notable change in direction for such a young player.
Wacha, now 25, looked destined for greatness just a few years ago. He burst onto the scene in 2013 when he pitched brilliantly for the St. Louis Cardinals down the stretch and through the postseason. Although the Cardinals lost the World Series that year, the right-hander played a pivotal role in getting them there.
Perhaps compounding the impressiveness of his elite run prevention that year was the fact that the Cardinals had selected in the draft just one season before. The 19th overall pick had limited development time and skyrocketed through their minor-league system. Armed with just a fastball and changeup, many pundits wondered what he could do with an expanded arsenal.
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The following season or two gave more promising results – when he managed to stay healthy. He mixed in a curveball and cutter to mixed success, and his statistics only regressed slightly. Over 2014 and 2015, he posted just under 300 innings with a quality mix of strikeouts and groundballs.
His shoulder, however, severely hampered his success. Shoulder discomfort and fatigue plagued his throwing arm for much of 2014, and he eventually landed on the disabled list with a scapular stress injury. Wacha missed a significant amount of time with that injury over fears that it could progress into a more damaging situation.
The righty overcame many fears when he returned to form the next season and earned a place on the All-Star team. Yet again, his shoulder acted up and the Cardinals skipped two of his starts to grant him some time to recover. Things were not quite the same after his return, and he imploded in the postseason.
The struggles continued into this past season as well. He missed a month due to right shoulder inflammation, and his fastball velocity continued to dip. His typically excellent run prevention degraded into borderline unplayable, although advanced metrics took a slightly more positive view of his work.
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Given his most recent troubles and continuing shoulder injuries, it seems dubious that the St. Louis Cardinals will receive anything of value on the trade market. Sure, free agency has very few top pitchers available, but Michael Wacha probably would not make the cut for many contenders. As unlikely as it may be, some team may be willing to roll the dice on such a talented player – for the right price.