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Seattle Mariners: 5 free agents who may be the ‘mystery pitcher’

By Ty Gonzalez

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 13: Michael Wacha #52 (L) and Yairo Munoz #34 of the St. Louis Cardinals look on prior to the start of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 13: Michael Wacha #52 (L) and Yairo Munoz #34 of the St. Louis Cardinals look on prior to the start of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – OCTOBER 12: Michael Wacha #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws during batting practice prior to the start of game two of the National League Championship Series between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on October 12, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – OCTOBER 12: Michael Wacha #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws during batting practice prior to the start of game two of the National League Championship Series between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on October 12, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /

RHP MICHAEL WACHA (2019: 126.2 IP, 4.76 ERA, 7.39 K/9, -0.2 fWAR)

We’ve seen a ton of Mariners fans clamoring for Michael Wacha to be the ‘mystery pitcher,’ so we had to throw him on the list. Wacha is the complete opposite of Julio Teherán; injuries have plagued him throughout his career, especially as of late, and the most innings he’s ever thrown in a season are 181.

But when he has pitched, he’s been pretty damn good. It’s just about getting him right physically. Wacha has had a history of shoulder issues, which popped up again in late September. The shoulder tightness that forced him out of a September 25 game versus the Diamondbacks abruptly ended his season just before his club went on a run to the NLCS.

It now seems like Wacha’s time in St. Louis is finally up as the 28-year-old hits free agency for the first time in his career and will look to find a team that can give him a solid opportunity to bounce back. Seattle fits that description rather nicely, don’t you think? With the Mariners, Wacha would be given ample opportunity to crack the back-end of their rotation and stick for quite some time.

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