Next year’s free agent class of starting pitchers was set to be strong with Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, Max Fried, Walker Buehler, and Shane Bieber. Dylan Cease could also be available in a trade. For the New York Mets, after essentially skipping out on this year’s market (barring Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery‘s prices going down), they relied on this market to help out their rotation in 2025 and beyond. Unfortunately, one of them is now already off the board.
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Per ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Philadelphia Phillies have made the first move, signing Zack Wheeler to a multi-year extension. The contract is three years, $126 million, and is the highest annual salary for any extension. A press conference is scheduled for later today. Earlier in the offseason, the Phillies got an extension done with their other top pitcher, Aaron Nola. Signing him to a 7-year, $172 million contract. Philadelphia has locked up their two best pitchers for years as they compete for a World Series championship.
Wheeler was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the San Francisco Giants for Carlos Beltrán in 2011. Wheeler showed some promise as a Met, but inconsistencies and injuries plagued his run. With the Mets, his career-best ERA was 3.31 in 2018. In 2019, his final year in New York, Wheeler’s ERA went up to 3.96. Since joining the Phillies, however, Wheeler has put it together and has become the ace many thought he would be. Wheeler is 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA in 629.1 innings pitched and 675 strikeouts.
On the Mets’ side, a reunion with Wheeler would’ve been a nice outcome. To some, it would’ve righted the wrong of letting Wheeler go and of another Wilpon-era mistake. However, that won’t be the case. The good news for New York is that plenty of names will be available on the market as they look for starting pitching help in 2025.
