According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies are making right-hander and former New York Mets staple Zack Wheeler available in trade talks.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported a short time later that “there’s zero truth” to Olney’s report, per team sources, but where there’s smoke there’s fire and it’s safe to assume there was at least some basis of origin to Olney’s scoop.
Moving on, Wheeler, 30, signed a five-year, $118 million deal with the Phils last winter after recapturing his career in Queens following Tommy John surgery in 2015.
Following two-plus years of rehabbing and aborted returns, the Georgia product made his return to the Mets in late 2017. Once the rust was shaken off, Wheeler shined.
Between 2018 and 2019, Wheeler’s 8.9 wins above replacement (Fangraphs) ranked tenth in baseball, announcing the former top pick’s return with some oomph.
An overall 3.65 ERA (3.37 FIP) over that span unjustly didn’t turn many heads, but his wide pitch arsenal and aversion to hard contact (his 28.3% hard-hit rate over that time was third-lowest in MLB) made him a hot commodity on the open market.
According to sources familiar with the negotiation process last winter, when told by Wheeler’s camp that they would circle back to the Mets once all offers had been submitted – and did so – New York’s front office didn’t even return their calls.
Last season, his first in Philadelphia, Wheeler continued on his pristine trajectory, pitching to a 2.92 ERA (3.22 FIP) over 11 starts and putting up career-bests in walks per nine innings (2.03) and home runs allowed per nine (0.38).
The opt-out and injury-depleted 2020 Mets rotation surely could have used that level of production in the No. 3 spot, no?
Now, new Mets owner and CEO Steve Cohen, as well as the man who traded for Wheeler in 2011 (and refused to trade him away at the player’s behest in 2015) team president Sandy Alderson can right the previous regime’s wrong and fill a glaring hole in the team’s starting five.
Whether the Phillies could be enticed to trade Wheeler to a divisional rival is to be determined. According to the very-public white flag Philadelphia has waved this offseason, maybe rival is the wrong choice of word, altogether.
If they are inclined, it would likely cost Alderson & Co. a premium to pull off. But, to bring back a pitcher of Wheeler’s caliber at a price commensurate with what he brings to the table – not the star bucks Trevor Bauer is commanding despite accumulating 11.6 fWAR to Wheeler’s 10.8 since the start of 2018 – it would be a worthy sacrifice.
The logistics of a potential trade is anyone’s guess at this early stage – the Phillies’ needs will dictate that narrative – but it would be silly for New York not to, at the very least, inquire about a deal.
A top three consisting of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Zack Wheeler with Noah Syndergaard re-entering the picture at some point and David Peterson coming off a solid MLB debut is a flex-and-a-half.
Sustainable success with a splash of win-now aggressiveness is supposed to be this organization’s new calling card. Swinging a trade for Zack Wheeler would check off both those boxes. Let’s see what’s what.
