Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has received “at least” one contract offer in excess of $100 million, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Wheeler's contract is expected to be for five years.
The Chicago White Sox have shown a concerted interest in signing Wheeler, particularly after they added free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal. Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels also reportedly met with Wheeler in the last few days, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Only so many teams have the payroll space to afford the likes of Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg, so Wheeler is a good third option for teams still in the market for starting pitching.
Wheeler went 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA in nearly 200 innings of work, and his peripherals over the last couple of years suggest that he has been even better than the traditional numbers indicate.
Indeed, Wheeler is one of the best in the game at inducing soft contact. He ranked in the top 4 percent of all pitchers in terms of average exit velocity against in 2018, according to Baseball Savant. He boasts a fastball in the upper 90s and a wipeout slider that is also one of the hardest in baseball.
Teams are recognizing Zack Wheeler's talent, too, and it appears that he is gearing up to secure the bag.
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