Mets have agreement on one-year contract with starting pitcher Michael Wacha

In the wake of the other team in New York signing a starting pitcher, the Mets followed suit with a slightly less high-profile acquisition. The team has reportedly come to an agreement on a one-year contract with starting pitcher Michael Wacha, who—assuming the deal is indeed finalized following a physical—will presumably be Zack Wheeler’s replacement in the starting rotation.

The 28-year-old Wacha has spent his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals, who drafted him with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft. His level of production over the course of his career has ranged from pretty good—primarily in the 2015 season, where he was an All Star and put up a 3.38 ERA and 2.9 bWAR in 30 starts—to thoroughly mediocre. His most recent season fell in the latter category, as he put up a 4.76 ERA and just 0.2 bWAR over 126.2 innings in 29 games, 24 of which were starts.

Wacha certainly represents a downgrade from the production Wheeler provided the Mets, but at the very least he represents a more reliable and established option than the in-house starters that the team had. And while the terms of the contract have yet to be announced, it is certainly bound to be in the meager price range that the Mets are comfortable paying.