Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on a 5 year, $118 million deal, per multiple reports.
Evan Grant had reported earlier today that the Texas Rangers, who had Wheeler near the top of their free agent wish list, had been informed they were out of the running.
5 years and a little over $23 million per year is fairly steep for a pitcher with Wheeler’s track record, but after dealing with injuries and ineffectiveness early in his career, Wheeler has been solid the past two seasons, and the lack of mileage on his arm and the impressive stuff had suitors feeling he could take another step forward once he was away from the New York Mets.
Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole have always been the top two starting pitchers on the market. With Wheeler now gone, the next best starting pitcher available on the next tier is probably either Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dallas Keuchel or Madison Bumgarner, depending on your personal preference.