For teams looking through the list of MLB Free Agents to bolster its starting rotation, 29-year-old Zack Wheeler offers excellence at a far better price.
For contending teams interested in drastically improving it’s starting rotation by adding MLB free agents — clubs like the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins and more — this year’s market is chock-full of diversified options.
In Tier 1 you have Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg — two arms that can instantly shift a middling starting staff into a more daunting and imposing rotation. However, the price looms large.
There’s always Tier 2, where you can find Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Wheeler, Jake Odorizzi and Madison Bumgarner — four pitchers that are frankly very different from one another but can bolster a rotation at an affordable price.
And finally, if you’re a team on a strict budget, there are multiple choices ranging from Homer Bailey to Tanner Roark… to even 40-year-old Rich Hill.
With 46 total options, spanning from the top at Cole with 7.4 bWAR (in 2019), all the way down to the veteran traveler Edwin Jackson with -1.1 bWAR — this winter offers a great selection.
But if a team wants the most bang for its buck, 29-year-old (will turn 30 next May) Zack Wheeler is the only one to pursue. Let me explain…