<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-san-diego-michael-wacha-injury-update-playoff-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres receive positive Michael Wacha injury update amid playoff push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/San_Diego_receives_positive_Michael_Wacha_injury_update_amid_playoff_push.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres receive positive Michael Wacha injury update amid playoff push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-11T16:57:49-07:00">August 11th, 4:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-11T16:57:49-07:00">August 11th, 4:57pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football, with an emphasis on MLB as a Lead Editor. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-reasons-why-you-must-bet-on-the-san-diego-padres-to-make-the-playoffs" rel="noopener">playoff hopes are still alive</a>. They currently sit in fourth place in the National League West, making their odds of winning the division rather slim. San Diego is still trying to clinch an NL Wild Card spot, however. The latest injury <a href="https://twitter.com/dennistlin/status/1690132411542376452" rel="noopener">update</a> on pitcher Michael Wacha will excite Padres fans amid their postseason push, per Dennis Lin of <i>The Athletic</i>.</p><p>“Michael Wacha went five innings and 67 pitches yesterday in Arizona. He could return from the IL next week,” Lin shared on Twitter.</p><p>Wacha has been brilliant this season across 15 starts. The veteran right-hander has pitched to the tune of a 2.84 ERA and 1.074 WHIP. Additionally, Wacha has struck out 73 hitters over 85.2 innings pitched. His looming return will benefit San Diego’s rotation without question.</p><h2><b>Padres’ playoff push</b></h2><p>San Diego features enough talent to make a playoff run. They are currently 13.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, but just 4.5 games back of an NL Wild Card spot. The question is whether or not they can find ways to win on a consistent basis.</p><p>San Diego has endured some struggles in recent action, leading potential NL MVP candidate Juan Soto to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-concerning-comments-after-fourth-straight-loss" rel="noopener">call out the team</a>.</p><p>“We’ve got to play as a team,” Soto <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-08-09/padres-mariners-yu-darvish-emerson-hancock-ha-seong-kim-steven-wilson-cal-raleigh" rel="noopener">said</a>, via Kevin Acee of <i>The San Diego Union-Tribune</i>. “We’ve got to go out there grind every day. Grind every at-bat. … It’s been really inconsistent. Some days we do, some days we don’t. We gotta do it every day. Days like this series, we just give up. Like literally, we just give up instead of keep grinding, keep pushing. We’ve got to forget about yesterday and keep moving.”</p><p>Injuries, such as Wacha’s, have played a role in the Padres’ underperformance. Still, teams like the Dodgers have been hit hard by the injury bug but have still remained consistent in the win column. The Padres cannot afford to make any excuses and must turn things around before it is too late.</p><p>It will be interesting to see if this San Diego ball club, which was constructed as a World Series contender during the offseason, can sneak into an NL Wild Card spot.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres receive positive Michael Wacha injury update amid playoff push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-pivotal-michael-wacha-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres get pivotal Michael Wacha injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Padres-news-San-Diego-dealt-concerning-Michael-Wacha-update-amid-bounce-back-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres get pivotal Michael Wacha injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-05T13:58:56-07:00">August 5th, 1:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-05T13:59:25-07:00">August 5th, 1:59pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sportswriter who is comfortable covering many different sports. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Friday was just one of those days for the San Diego Padres. With .500 finally in reach, they entered the weekend ready to begin a big home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hours before first pitch, Joe Musgrove was placed on the injury list and shut down with a shoulder injury. Then, the team’s bullpen self-destructed late in a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-joe-kellys-savage-nsfw-message-after-striking-out-fernando-tatis-jr-has-la-fans-roaring" rel="noopener">bitter 10-5 loss</a>.</p><p>Well, they say tomorrow’s a new beginning right? While the bar was set low, San Diego received some good news Saturday. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha will be <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres/status/1687894148282728448" rel="noopener">making a rehab start</a> tonight with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, per the team. He last took the mound for the Padres on July 1 before being placed on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation.</p><p>Wacha’s impending return to the MLB roster comes at the perfect time with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-padres-hit-with-brutal-joe-musgrove-injury-blow-amid-shoulder-issue" rel="noopener">Musgrove sidelined</a>. He adds much-needed stability behind dominant ace Blake Snell and currently boasts a 2.84 ERA in 15 outings this season. The former All-Star may not seem like the most intimidating hurler in the league, but he is getting big results.</p><p>And that’s what this franchise needs and demands right now. The Padres (54-56) are playing much better of late, with their star-studded lineup starting to live up to their top billing. Friday’s collapse, however, was a huge missed opportunity to gain a game on every team currently ahead of them in the National League Wild Card race. They remain four games out of a playoff slot.</p><p>Too much was already squandered in the first four months of the season. San Diego’s margin for error is razor-thin going forward. Michael Wacha can help the club adhere to those lofty standards. The countdown for his return is officially underway.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres get pivotal Michael Wacha injury update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-san-diego-concerning-michael-wacha-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres dealt concerning Michael Wacha injury update amid bounce-back season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Padres-news-San-Diego-dealt-concerning-Michael-Wacha-update-amid-bounce-back-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres dealt concerning Michael Wacha injury update amid bounce-back season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-07-04T13:06:54-07:00">July 4th, 1:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-07-04T13:15:35-07:00">July 4th, 1:15pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres/status/1676308809806147584" rel="noopener">placed</a> SP Michael Wacha on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, the team announced. The move is retroactive to July 2. San Diego also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-san-diego-surprising-nelson-cruz-decision" rel="noopener">designated DH Nelson Cruz for assignment</a> and optioned RHP Domingo Tapia. In terms of active roster additions, the Padres called LHP José Castillo, RHP Matt Waldron, and INF Matthew Batten up to the big league club.</p><p>It is no secret that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-xander-bogaerts-brutally-honest-nationals" rel="noopener">Padres have struggled</a> in 2023. Wacha, however, has been a bright spot. He’s started 15 games and owns a 2.84 ERA. Wacha also has a 1.074 WHIP to go along with 73 strikeouts. His performance hasn’t received much attention since the majority of national media has placed the spotlight on the Padres’ 2023 shortcomings. This injury certainly won’t help matters for San Diego moving forward.</p><h2><b>Padres’ roster moves</b></h2><p>Padres manager Bob Melvin <a href="https://twitter.com/973TheFanSD/status/1676317444812705792" rel="noopener">commented on the decisions</a> to place Michael Wacha on the IL and designate Nelson Cruz for assignment, per 97.3 The Fan.</p><p>“We’re trying to use the All-Star break for it,” Melvin said about Wacha’s injury. “Probably the timing’s good to be able to do this for him… I think the timing of it with the All-Star break is the prudent thing to do.”</p><p>“Obviously a tough one,” Melvin said in reference to the Padres’ Cruz DFA decision. “Big impact in the clubhouse… it’s more about versatility here now.”</p><p>The Padres need players who can move around the field. Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz both primarily DH, and San Diego seemingly decided they didn’t need two players on the roster for that role.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres dealt concerning Michael Wacha injury update amid bounce-back season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-continue-to-load-up-amid-michael-wacha-24-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres continue to load up amid Michael Wacha $24 million contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/padres-news-san-diego-continues-to-load-up-amid-michael-wacha-24-million.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres continue to load up amid Michael Wacha $24 million contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-14T21:02:41-08:00">February 14th, 9:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-14T21:11:17-08:00">February 14th, 9:11pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In the seemingly never-ending National League arms race, the San Diego Padres signed pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-make-key-last-minute-pitching-addition-spring-training-begins-michael-wacha" rel="noopener">Michael Wacha</a> to a flexible deal that makes their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-power-rankings-after-mets-swoop-in-to-steal-carlos-correa-in-free-agency" rel="noopener">2023 World Series</a> or bust mindset even more obvious.</p><p>The right-handed starter will earn <a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1625684972752306176" rel="noopener">more than $24 million</a> over four years with player and team options that will also save San Diego a bit in luxury-taxes, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Wacha’s extended stay in the free agent market was surprising given that he posted a stalwart 3.32 ERA lasts season with the Boston Red Sox.</p><p>The savvy eleventh-hour heist should wrap up a highly active offseason for the Padres. Most notably, the team sent shockwaves throughout baseball and heartbreak through Beantown when they signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal. They also recently extended coveted starter Yu Darvish to a long-term contract. Add in the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., and an already loaded squad that made the NLCS last year might be the early favorites to take it all in 2023.</p><p>For so long, San Diego had been overshadowed by “big brother” Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2022 Divisional Playoffs were a massive breakthrough for the franchise, and a desperate dose of euphoria for the fans. That alone was enough to make the year a success. Now they will be expected to build off it.</p><p>The organization went into the Winter Meetings with the clear goal of making a monster splash. They were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Aaron Judge, so they settled for a four-time All-Star with two World Series rings instead. The Padres did not allow a crowded infield or steep financial commitment to dissuade them from beefing up their roster. Nor did they allow the imminent arrival of Spring Training to convince them that the team was fine as is.</p><p>San Diego has done just about everything it could on paper. The pitching depth Wacha brings checks the last box on the team’s to-do list. Expectations have been high for a while now, but with the Dodgers no longer hanging above their heads, this team could be more dangerous than ever before.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres continue to load up amid Michael Wacha $24 million contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rumor-michael-wachas-exact-contract-demands-amid-twins-orioles-links-revealed');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rumor: Michael Wacha’s exact contract demands amid Twins, Orioles links, revealed');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/mlb-rumors-michael-wachas-exact-contract-demands-amid-twins-orioles-links-revealed.jpg"></figure><h1>Rumor: Michael Wacha’s exact contract demands amid Twins, Orioles links, revealed</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-29T12:41:33-08:00">January 29th, 12:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-29T20:09:18-08:00">January 29th, 8:09pm</time><address><a>Steve Zavala</a>Steve is a freelance writer covering the world of sports for ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The start of spring training is just around the corner, and several veteran starters are still without a contract, including Michael Wacha.</p><p>The right-handed pitcher has garnered interest from multiple teams for a possible free agent deal. However, no team in the majors is willing to “meet his request” for a two-year, $30 million deal, as <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2023/01/29/mlb-umpire-malachi-moore-trailblazer-compton-youth-academy/11141564002/" rel="noopener">noted</a> by USA Today Sports’ Bob Nightengale.</p><p>Wacha has been in the rumor mill with the likes of the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1603206744896937984?s=20" rel="noopener">noted</a> last month that the Orioles have shown “interest” in the former Boston Red Sox hurler. More so, the one-time All-Star was <a href="https://theathletic.com/4052995/2023/01/03/minnesota-twins-roster-projection/" rel="noopener">linked</a> with the Twins earlier this month.</p><p>The Orioles and the Twins have bolstered their rotations in the ongoing offseason. Baltimore will count on new additions Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin to help lead the way in the upcoming season. On the other hand, Minnesota pulled off a trade for now-former Miami Marlins hurler Pablo Lopez on Jan. 20.</p><p>The Los Angeles Angels were also in the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-rumors-trades-and-signings?t=trades-and-transactions" rel="noopener">rumor mill</a> with Wacha in December. As it stands, the Angels will only see one new face in their six-man rotation for the 2023 campaign, as they came to terms with former Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson on a three-year deal in November. Nonetheless, Angels general manager Perry Minasian did recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mike-trout-delivers-honest-take-on-angels-key-offseason-moves" rel="noopener">note</a> that the club is still “looking at things.”</p><p>“We’re still looking at things,” Minasian said. “There are still some areas to improve. It’s not like we’re packing up shop and going on vacation. We’re gonna continue to look, whether it’s the rotation, the bullpen, the position player group.</p><p>“If it’s raising the floor with more Minor League signings or maybe the trade market, I still think there are ways to improve this club, and we’ll examine all those things.”</p><p>Wacha orchestrated quite a bounce-back season with the Red Sox last year. He posted a 3.32 ERA over 23 starts and also tallied 127.1 innings pitched for the AL East side — his highest since 2017.</p><p>It will be noteworthy to see just which team will end up signing Michael Wacha.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
500	3.35	145	1.19	13

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
500	3.35	145	1.19	13

Michael Wacha

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Rumor: Michael Wacha’s exact contract demands amid Twins, Orioles links, revealed

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