If you want an indication of just how significant the free agent market could be for pitchers this winter, you need only look at the rumors surrounding the potential price tag of second-tier starter Zack Wheeler.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Wheeler could be in line for a deal in the neighborhood of five years and upwards of $100 million in what is said to be a “crazy” market for pitching.
Heard from one rival exec today that the pitching market is going to be crazy in the first two tiers with Zack Wheeler fetching something like five years, $100-110 million. https://t.co/VidlMK4Cg4
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) November 27, 2019
Wheeler is a perfectly good pitcher. He put up a 3.96 ERA for the Mets last year and has a career 3.77 mark, with injuries proving his major issue. He’s also still just 29 years old, so he’s signing for the remainder of his prime. Still, it’s a sign that someone with legitimate concerns like Wheeler is in line for a nine-figure deal that this could be a fairly wild free agent market for pitching. It checks out with what we’re hearing about the best available starters as well.
