New York Mets: Top three destinations for Zack Wheeler
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.
3. Chicago White Sox
New York Mets fans might think that the White Sox aren’t going to contend next season, so why would Zack Wheeler want to go there while he could just accept a one year deal in Queens?
Well, if we are being serious here there’s no way that Wheeler will accept the qualifying offer, and the White Sox are closer than most people think.
Their rotation is very young and better than most people recognize. Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito are the real deal, but the key for Kopech is he needs to stay healthy. Giolito was in the running for Cy Young at one point this season, as he simplified his delivery and was able to hide the ball for a longer period of time to be more effective in 2019 and will look to carry that over to 2020.
Remember the White Sox missed out on star third baseman Manny Machado last offseason, and the decision-makers weren’t too happy, so I think they are going to want to make a splash and sign someone this year. They have a lot of money to spend from the $280 million or so that they saved up for Machado and I think if Chicago is willing to spend on Wheeler, he will be on board.
But the White Sox aren’t one of the top two suitors in my mind, so here is number 2.
2. Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels didn’t sign Mike Trout for $426 million just to have him be the only exciting thing Angels fans have during baseball season. And I know they didn’t lure in manager Joe Maddon just for him to manage a mediocre team.
They want to take the next step, and they want to do it this winter. And it starts with signing starting pitching.
Everyone is believing that Gerrit Cole will just take a hometown discount to sign with the Angels, but he is under Scott Boras, so he is going to go where he gets the most money just like Bryce Harper did a year ago.
And there are other suitors out there that will spend on Gerrit Cole that is closer to contending like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Therefore, the Angels shouldn’t bank on signing Cole, but what they should do is go get Zack Wheeler. For one he is going to be cheaper than Cole and I believe that Mickey Callaway being back as a pitching coach will make him a great coach again, and I think he could be the guy –like Brent Strom was to Cole– and transform Wheeler into an ace.
I also don’t think there is a huge drop off between Wheeler and Cole if you were to put them both on the Angels.
The Angels would be a good fit for Wheeler, but the #1 suitor is closer to contention than the Angels with a lot of stars in the clubhouse…
1. San Diego Padres
Ken Rosenthal labeled GM A.J. Preller as an executive who is under pressure at this week’s GM meetings, and one of his needs is starting pitching.
Owner Ron Fowler has said that if the team does not perform better under Preller’s hire, Jayce Tingler, then changes will be made.
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But Peter Seidler has said that the team is willing to spend money on players for the third offseason in a row as new jerseys come with big expectations.
And Zack Wheeler is worth spending money on.
The Padres have a very young rotation that includes Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet with prospects MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino on the way, but they don’t have an experienced arm that still has a lot of potential.
Padres fans might be begging for Preller to bring Stephen Strasburg home, but he likes in Washington and they just won a World Series so I wouldn’t blame him if he wants to stay there which means I wouldn’t bank on him coming to San Diego.
But Zack Wheeler would be a more affordable starter who would get to mentor the young starters in the rotation while at the same time being mentored by one of the best pitching coaches in the game in the Padres new pitching coach, Larry Rothschild.
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I believe Wheeler’s best fit is with the Padres because they are ready to contend in 2020 and need a guy to lead a young rotation in addition to providing him with an experienced pitching coach.