Reports: Mets to Sign Michael Wacha

With Mets starting pitcher targets Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole (yeah, right) off the boards, reports Wednesday evening say the Mets will sign Michael Wacha to fill out the rotation.

Wacha has been with the Cardinals for the past seven years, turning in a 59-39 record with a 3.91 ERA — respectable numbers. He won’t strike out a ton of guys, but hey, not everyone is Nolan Ryan. He is coming off a down year (6-7, 4.76 ERA). But he’s only 28 years old, so he still has time to be the budding star who, as a 21-year-old rookie, was the MVP of the 2013 NLCS.

Numbers were not announced, but it is believed the Mets will pay Wacha somewhere between $8 million and $9 million on a one-year deal (UPDATE: Later reports said it is $3 million guaranteed with up to $7 million in possible incentives — even better!). That seems fair for a pitcher with his numbers.

Overall, this is a good signing. Instead of taking a chance on some cheap, over-the-hill starter, Brodie Van Wagenen went out and spent some money to get someone who could actually be pretty good. You could do a lot worse for a fifth starter than Michael Wacha.

By the way, Wacha is a CAA client. Yes, the same CAA where Van Wagenen was a high-powered agent. He seems to have a penchant for acquiring his former employer’s clients, for whatever that’s worth.