The Mets and pitcher Zack Wheeler have settled on a one-year deal avoiding arbitration that will pay the righty $800,000, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
Wheeler has not pitched for the Mets since 2014, but is a significant part of the club’s plans going into 2017. In two seasons with the Mets, Wheeler has a 3.50 ERA over 285.1 innings. Over that span, he posted an 8.5 K/9 rate as well as a 3.9 BB/9 rate. He was, however, showing much improvement in the second half of 2014, putting up a 2.80 ERA from July onward.
In March of 2015, just before the start of the season, Wheeler tore his UCL, requiring Tommy John surgery. He required extra recovery time for another minor procedure on his elbow.
Last season, in his effort to return to the Mets by season’s end, he suffered numerous setbacks. Wheeler threw a grand total of 17 pitches in the minor leagues before being shut down.
