New York Mets: Top three destinations for Zack Wheeler
By Ben Fadden
Former New York Mets starter Zack Wheeler has a lot of potential and could turn into a version of Gerrit Cole if he lands on the right team and can stay healthy, so here are the three best fits.
The New York Mets have a lot of starting pitching even without Zack Wheeler. Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz are part of the rotation as of now.
So, I think GM Brodie Van Wagenen will not be crying if Wheeler doesn’t accept the qualifying offer, which he will inform the Mets by Thursday of his decision, and he happens to go to another team.
Therefore, for this exercise, I will be outlining his three best fits that don’t include the New York Mets.
Wheeler had another good season with the Mets, posting a 3.96 ERA in nearly 200 innings. He had Tommy John surgery in 2015 but has since bounced back while making 60 starts the last two years.
Although his numbers are expected to go down next year, he will still be a great #2 or #3 guy in a rotation that should give you quality starts every fifth day.
I think he could morph into a Gerrit Cole type guy, as he has shown that he has elite stuff but he hasn’t really been able to flourish in New York behind Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard so I think a change in scenery could be a good thing for Wheeler.
Gerrit Cole was a decent pitcher with the Pirates and he had elite stuff but he didn’t reach his ceiling until Brent Strom helped him out in Houston, and I think the same thing could happen with Wheeler if he were to be paired with the right mentor.
Without further ado, here are the three best fits for Zack Wheeler from #3 to the top spot.