The Philadelphia Phillies have made no secret of their desire to keep RHP Zack Wheeler beyond the conclusion of his current contract in 2024, and one insider believes a new deal will be completed this offseason.
On Thursday evening’s episode of 97.5 The Fanatic, Hall of Famer Jayson Stark provided some interesting insight into Wheeler’s future with the Phillies.
“Re-signing Wheeler will be the No. 1 priority for the Phillies once the rest of the MLB offseason rubble clears,” Stark said in a statement. “They are more committed to keeping Wheeler than they were to keeping [Aaron] Nola.” I believe it will be completed because Wheeler adores everything about Philadelphia.”
Wheeler has far surpassed his five-year, $118 million contract with the Phillies, which he signed ahead to the 2020 season. Wheeler is 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA and 2.90 FIP since joining the Phillies. His 629 1/3 innings pitched during that time frame rank fourth among all starting pitchers. According to FanGraphs, his 19.3 WAR over the last four seasons tops all pitchers.
Wheeler has been dominant in two postseason runs with the Phillies, in addition to his regular-season excellence. Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA in his first 11 postseason appearances.
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When asked by Phillies Nation if the team intends to work out an extension with Wheeler this winter, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t mince words.
“Without getting into anything — because just we haven’t had these type of things [conversations] — we would hope to have Zack Wheeler in our organization for years to come,” Dombrowski was quoted as saying.
“He’s been tremendous since he’s been here, and we look at him as a real stalwart of our organization,” Dombrowski said. “So we would hope that he would be here for a long time.”
While the Phillies attempted to negotiate a long-term contract with Nola last spring and finally signed him to a seven-year/$172 million deal in free agency, there appears to be a more decisive tone when discussing Wheeler. With Nola, it seemed like there was a 50/50 chance he’d leave the Phillies after the 2023 season. Perhaps
That doesn’t mean the Phillies and Wheeler will reach an agreement before the 2024 season, but it appears to be the organization’s aim. While no formal offer had been made at the time of the note, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported in late November that the Phillies had negotiated a new contract with Wheeler’s representatives. According to Zolecki, “one is expected at some point” in terms of a formal offer from the Phillies to Wheeler, who is represented by Al Goetz at Jets Sports Management.There are advantages and disadvantages to potentially signing a new deal before the 2024 season, according to Wheeler.
On the one hand, when you prove your worth on the open market, you tend to obtain more money. If Wheeler continues to produce as well as he did in his first four seasons in Philadelphia, he will be a sought-after free agency next offseason. If he hits the open market, a contract similar to or perhaps greater than the three-year/$130 million deal that the New York Mets offered Max Scherzer in free agency prior to the 2022 season would be likely. Wheeler may be passing up money if he re-signs with the Phillies before entering free agency.
Wheeler, on the other hand, will be 34 in May, has pitched over 1,300 innings in his career, and has undergone Tommy John surgery.
It will be intriguing to watch how Wheeler’s future unfolds, but both parties appear to have reasons to keep their connection going.The Phillies have made deep playoff runs in each of the last two seasons, and Wheeler has realized the great potential he displayed during his five seasons with the New York Mets.
Wheeler’s wife, Dominique, is from New Jersey, and his choice to join with the Phillies following the 2019 season appeared to be influenced by his proximity to the state. Since then, the pair has had two children and announced during the 2023 postseason run that they are expecting a third. One would imagine that this has just fueled their desire to stay near to family.
