THE Houston Astros will likely look for veterans this offseason. This is a team built to win now, and while they would like to add some young talent, there generally aren’t many young stars traded or available this winter.

Perhaps that will change this offseason, but the Astros will likely look to add caps with veteran talent, which should be all they need to get back to the top of the baseball world.

There will be a ton of players to pursue.

If Houston wants to improve its rotation if Yusei Kikuchi And Justin Verlander leave in free agency, they could look to target Michael Wacha.

Wacha is an interesting name to follow, as he has been playing in the major leagues since 2013. Throughout his 12-year MLB career, all he has done is pitch at an above-average level. There have been some difficult campaigns throughout this period, but what he has done over the last three seasons leaves him with plenty of optimism to age well.

The right-hander posted a 3.30 ERA and struck out 373 batters during that span.

He has a $16 million player option, which he could pick up if he doesn’t think his market will be too hot.

Even if it is possible, Jim Bowden Athletics doesn’t expect that to be the case, predicting the Iowa native will land a three-year, $54 million contract.

“Michael Wacha has been superb and consistent over the past three years, posting ERAs between 3.22 and 3.35 with double-digit wins each season, while signing short-term contracts. His top-down plan and change (.169 batting average against) are special He ranked in the 99th percentile in offspeed run value and in the 92nd percentile in hard hit rate Wacha has a 16 million player option. dollars for 2025 that I expect him to turn down so he can enter free agency and land a multi-year contract.

A three-year deal would give Wacha more money in the long run, something a 33-year-old would likely appreciate.

The Astros’ decisions will weigh heavily on what their future free agents decide to do. If they re-signed the several players who are about to hit the market on their roster, Wacha might not have much room in the rotation.

Otherwise, there’s reason to believe he could be the ideal candidate to make up for some of those lost innings, as Houston has some injury questions heading into the upcoming campaign.