Report: Zack Wheeler turned down more money from White Sox to sign with Phillies

Zack Wheeler is getting an impressive sum of money from the Phillies, but reportedly left some cash on the table in order to sign with the team.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Wheeler turned down more money from the Chicago White Sox than the $118 million he got from Philadelphia. His desire to stay close to his wife’s New Jersey home was apparently a major factor in his decision to sign with the Phillies.

#WhiteSox’s offer to Wheeler was for MORE than the $118M he will receive from the #Phillies, sources tell The Athletic. As @MarcCarig said, Wheeler’s wife is from New Jersey, and that proximity was an important consideration in his decision.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2019

We can take a couple things from this. First, the Phillies had a huge inherent advantage geographically that allowed them to land Wheeler at something of a discount. With that in mind, it’s hard to see anyone else as having a great chance unless they blew Philadelphia’s offer out of the water financially.

Second, the White Sox are serious. They’ve already brought in catcher Yasmani Grandal, and the fact that they were willing to go big in a Wheeler deal suggests that they want to take a big step forward in 2020. Some of the trades they’ve reportedly discussed also bear that out.