Zack Wheeler’s current contract expires in2024, but the Philadelphia Phillies are determined to keep him around for years to come.
An insider predicts that this summer, a new agreement will be reached.
When Hall of Famer Jayson Stark appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic on Thursday night, he shared some very revealing thoughts about Wheeler’s future with the Phillies.
“Once the remaining MLB offseason debris settles, re-signing Wheeler will be the Phillies’ top priority,” Stark stated.
“They were less dedicated to [Aaron] Nola than they were to Wheeler’s resigning. Because Wheeler adores everything about Philadelphia, I believe it gets done.
Wheeler’s performance has been far superior to the five-year, $118 million contract he signed with the Phillies before the
Wheeler has been outstanding during his two postseason campaigns with the Phillies in addition to his excellence during the regular season. Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA in his first 11 postseason games of his career.
When Phillies Nation asked President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski during his year-end news conference if the team hoped to work out a deal with Wheeler this summer, Dombrowski didn’t hold back.
“We hope to have Zack Wheeler in our organization for years to come, without getting into anything because we haven’t had these type of things [conversations],” Dombrowski stated.
Dombrowski went on, “He’s been fantastic since he’s been here, and we view him as a true stalwart of our organization.” We therefore hope that he will stay here for a very long period.
There does seem to be a more decisive tone when discussing Wheeler, even if the Phillies did attempt to negotiate a long-term contract with Nola last spring and ultimately brought him back on a seven-year/$172 million deal in free agency.
Zack Wheeler’s current contract expires in2024, but the Philadelphia Phillies are determined to keep him around for years to come.
An insider predicts that this summer, a new agreement will be reached.
When Hall of Famer Jayson Stark appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic on Thursday night, he shared some very revealing thoughts about Wheeler’s future with the Phillies.
“Once the remaining MLB offseason debris settles, re-signing Wheeler will be the Phillies’ top priority,” Stark stated.
“They were less dedicated to [Aaron] Nola than they were to Wheeler’s resigning. Because Wheeler adores everything about Philadelphia, I believe it gets done.
Wheeler’s performance has been far superior to the five-year, $118 million contract he signed with the Phillies before the
Wheeler has been outstanding during his two postseason campaigns with the Phillies in addition to his excellence during the regular season. Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA in his first 11 postseason games of his career.
When Phillies Nation asked President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski during his year-end news conference if the team hoped to work out a deal with Wheeler this summer, Dombrowski didn’t hold back.
“We hope to have Zack Wheeler in our organization for years to come, without getting into anything because we haven’t had these type of things [conversations],” Dombrowski stated.
Dombrowski went on, “He’s been fantastic since he’s been here, and we view him as a true stalwart of our organization.” We therefore hope that he will stay here for a very long period.
There does seem to be a more decisive tone when discussing Wheeler, even if the Phillies did attempt to negotiate a long-term contract with Nola last spring and ultimately brought him back on a seven-year/$172 million deal in free agency.
It seemed very much like a 50/50 probability that Nola would leave the Phillies at the end of the 2023 campaign. Maybe I’m reading too much into one comment, but the teams with the biggest budgets in sports don’t often allow a player they consider a “stalwart” to walk away during free agency.
That doesn’t guarantee that Wheeler and the Phillies will agree to a contract extension before the 2024 campaign, but it does appear to be the team’s goal.
In late November, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki claimed that the Phillies had indeed negotiated a new contract with Wheeler’s team, despite the fact that no formal offer had been made at the time of the memo.
Regarding a formal offer from the Phillies to Wheeler—who is represented by Jets Sports Management’s Al Goetz—Zolecki continued, “One is expected at some point.”
Establishing your value on the open market, on the one hand, usually results in a higher payment. Wheeler would be highly sought after on the free-agent market the next year if he keeps up his current level of production from his first four seasons in Philadelphia.
If Max Scherzer hits the open market, a contract comparable to or more than the three-year, $130 million deal the New York Mets handed him in free agency before the 2022 campaign would likely be reasonable.
If Wheeler re-signs with the Phillies before exercising his right to free agency, he might be throwing money down the drain.
Conversely, Wheeler, who turns 34 in May, has played in over 1,300 innings and has had Tommy John surgery before.
Though Wheeler’s future is still up in the air, it seems like both parties have good reasons to keep their relationship going.
In the last two seasons, the Phillies have advanced far in the playoffs, and Wheeler has lived up to his extraordinary talent in Philadelphia, where he frequently showed glimpses of it when playing for the New York Mets for five seasons.
Wheeler’s choice to join with the Phillies following the 2019 season seemed to be influenced by his proximity to New Jersey, where his wife, Dominique, is from.
Since then, the pair has welcomed two children into their family and revealed during the 2023 postseason run that they are expecting a third. You would think that would only make them want to stay near their family even more.
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