Right-handed starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies agree to a three-year, $126 million deal. His new deal’s $42 million annual average is the highest value among MLB contract extensions.
Re-signing Wheeler was a no-brainer after he went 13-6 with a 3.61 earned run average last season. He struck out 212 batters in 192 innings and closed his 2023 campaign with a 1.078 WHIP. His solid performance for the Phillies earned him a vote for the National League Cy Young Award, which Blake Snell eventually won.
The Wheels are still rolling in Philly pic.twitter.com/dR53ZnaqjQ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 4, 2024
Wheeler has double-digit winning seasons from 2021 to 2023. In the first year of that streak, he pitched three complete games and two shutouts in 32 matches. He finished with a 14-10 record with a 2.78 ERA and a National League-leading 247 strikeouts.
Wheeler started his career with the New York Mets. However, he missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to elbow and shoulder injuries. He played three more seasons with the Mets before the Phillies signed him to a five-year, $118 million contract in December 2019.
He had a 4-2 record with a 2.92 ERA during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, his first with the Phillies. He had 53 strikeouts and surrendered 67 hits in 71 innings.
With his contract lasting until 2027, Zach Wheeler will have his ten-and-five rights starting in 2025. After playing ten MLB seasons and staying with one team for five years, he will have the power to veto any trade involving him.
-Lance Fernandez