Zack Wheeler appears to be leaving Queens and the New York Mets need a replacement to fill their rotation. Here are three options that they should consider.
The New York Mets enter the 2019 MLB offseason with their biggest free agent being starter Zack Wheeler. He appears to be a very coveted piece on the free-agent market and with no overabundance of pitching options available, his tenure in Queens has seemingly run its course.
Wheeler arrived in New York to an invigorating fervor, as he was slated to be a top prospect, who would stimulate the Mets rebuild- a process that had already been endured for a few seasons. Matt Harvey was the first to arrive, however, and the reception was scintillating.
Therefore, when Wheeler debuted in Atlanta- his home town- the following year, fans were just about expecting a rapid swerve in the Mets fate- which at that time had been little else than gloomy. However, Wheeler did not find the success of Harvey and subsequently Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
Wheeler had seemingly been passed by each and every Mets pitching prospect and were out to prove himself in 2015, a year where the Mets had legitimate expectations. A fatal blow was soon dealt to Wheeler’s hopes, as he suffered a ligament tear in his elbow that prevented him from throwing a pitch at the major league level until 2017.
All in all, Wheeler had two mediocre seasons, in which he displayed incremental improvement, and followed it up by not pitching in the subsequent two seasons. A pitiful 2017 and poor start to 2018 surely allowed severe doubt to creep in.
Miraculously to end the 2018 and for most of 2019, Wheeler displayed a presence and authority on the mound unbeknownst prior to this. Even though 2019 had its rough patches, Wheeler routinely demonstrated that he could rev his fastball by any batter and spin a change-up that befuddled a great number of opposing batters.
He is primed to earn a significant upgrade in salary, however, the New York Mets are primed to lose one of their best pitchers after all of that hardship. These five options might not replicate Wheeler’s stats, yet they could potentially fill his spot in the rotation.