The market for Zack Wheeler has been sizzling since the start of free agency, and as expected the right-hander has turned that into a massive contract.
Wheeler has agreed to a five-year, $118 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Rosenthal’s colleague Marc Carig was the first to share the news of the sides coming to an agreement.
Wheeler with #Phillies, per source: Five years, $118M
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2019
Wheeler is still just 29 and has put up solid numbers throughout his career, but he had a 3.96 ERA last year with the New York Mets and has a career ERA of 3.77. Those aren’t exactly ace numbers, but starting pitchers are in extremely high demand this offseason, and Wheeler was able to take advantage of that.
The Phillies badly needed starting pitching after an extremely disappointing season last year, so Wheeler should give them a nice boost in that department. It would not be a surprise if they added another big piece to their rotation before the winter is over.
Wheeler, who went 11-8 with 195 strikeouts in 31 total starts last season, was also being heavily pursued by the Chicago White Sox. They were believed to be the highest bidder as of less than two weeks ago, but Wheeler ultimately settled on Philly.
