With trade rumors swirling around Citi Field like a vortex, one of the principals in the trade talks went out and showed scouts around baseball that he can still throw, and throw hard. Zack Wheeler, who was making his first start since July 7, has been one of several Mets pitchers thought to be on the trading block before the trade deadline on July 31.

The Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Yankees were just a few of the teams interested in Wheeler’s services. Their desire may have been tempered somewhat with Wheeler’s recent trip to the IL due to right shoulder fatigue. His performance on Friday, although not brilliant from a runs perspective as Wheeler gave up three runs in 5.1 innings, still may have rekindled the interest as he reached 98 mph on his fastball and was in command for most of his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Against the Pirates, Wheeler averaged nearly 97 mph on his fastball and his manager was particularly impressed with his curve. Mickey Callaway said in his post-game news conference that he was impressed with Wheeler “stuff-wise” and “mentality-wise” and added that “(he) hopes that he continues to grow here.”

As far as the looming trade deadline Callaway said before the game, “It’s a difficult task,”  Callaway said of Wheeler pitching, “He’s approaching free agency and this is part of free agency, right? You’re about to be a free agent, you’re on a team that hasn’t gotten where they’re gonna get yet, and there’s a possibility you might get traded. That’s his reality.”

The reality on Friday was that Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings, allowed three runs, six hits, one home run, seven strikeouts, and no walks. He threw only 73 pitches, 54 of which were strikes, in notching his seventh win of the season. His record for the season is now 7-6.

Things began well for Wheeler against the Pirates, a team that has been struggling of late, losers of six straight coming into the game. He struck out lead-off batter Corey Dickerson as part of a 1-2-3 first inning.

In the second inning, Wheeler allowed the first three batters to reach as Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds and Colin Moran all singled to plate a run for the Bucs. But Wheeler limited the damage to that one run as he struck out Jung Ho Kang and induced ground-outs by Elias Diaz and pitcher Dario Agrazal.

The strikeout of Kang in the second began a streak of 12 consecutive batters retired by Wheeler, six by strikeouts, as he was in total command in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

It appeared that Wheeler began to tiresome in the sixth. The inning began with a single by Melky Cabrera followed by a long home run by Adam Frazier, his fifth of the year. After a deep fly-out to right by Starling Marte and a single by Bell, Callaway popped out of the dugout to go get his 29-year-old righthander. Luis Avilan entered the game in relief.

As Wheeler walked off the mound, many of the 33,776 fans in attendance rose to applaud his efforts. The Citi Field faithful knew that even though it wasn’t a sure thing that Wheeler is traded by the deadline, it still might be the last time he strides off the Citi Field mound in a Mets uniform.

After the game, Zack mentioned to reporters that he “appreciated” the nice applause he was given by the Mets faithful. Then, the assembled throng wondered (repeatedly) if the possibility of this being his last outing as a Met entered his mind. Wheeler never admitted that he thought about it during the game, but it did creep into his mind as he was walking off the mound after being replaced.

Wheeler said he was focused on his task at hand. “The concentration here is doing my job” was what Wheeler told the press throughout the post-game meeting. He also said, he “felt good in the bullpen (the other day), and I felt good on the mound tonight.” It bears noting that Wheeler made this start without the benefit of a rehab outing and that could explain why he may have tired a bit in the sixth.

Zack Wheeler will become a free agent at the end of the year, that is, unless the Mets sign him to a long-term contract. As Friday’s game progressed, word came from Joel Sherman and others that Noah Syndergaard will “definitely” be traded before July 31. So the knowns and unknowns of the situation continue to grow and change, as is common a few days before any trade deadline. Where Wheeler fits into the picture, no one really knows. And how Friday’s start and win against Pittsburgh affected anything is again anyone’s guess.

But the fact is that Wheeler pitched well, and comported himself on the mound nicely for the Mets. Callaway certainly wants him here as he expressed definitively after the game. As to his what his bosses want, the trade deadline is Wednesday, so Mets management has until then to possibly reconfigure a starting rotation that has been thought of as the strength of the team for years.

It will be an interesting few days, that’s for sure.