Mets righty Zack Wheeler got back on the mound today, as MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo was among those to report on Twitter. Though he only threw 13 pitches, and did so from the slope of the mound rather than the rubber, it’s a notable sign for a significant potential New York trade chip.
When we put up MLBTR’s ranking of the top sixty trade deadline candidates last week, we had Wheeler in the third slot. The live-armed hurler hasn’t turned in an impressive earned run average this year (4.69) but otherwise looks like much the same pitcher who was so impressive in 2018.
Unfortunately, the Mets’ already gloomy season took another turn for the worse when Wheeler promptly came down with a shoulder impingement. He has been on the injured list since. Though the team has generally put out optimistic vibes, there’s no shortage of uncertainty as to his trade status with the deadline just a dozen days off.
It seems the major test for Wheeler, a free agent at season’s end, will come in the next few days. Assuming he recovers well from today’s limited session, Wheeler will likely be tasked with a full pen session. If all checks out at that point, per DiComo, the righty could be ready to start a big league game by the middle of next week.
If that timeline holds, Wheeler would theoretically be able to make two starts before July 31st. That ought to give interested teams enough time to get comfortable with his health and get a sense for the current status of his arsenal. Whether there’ll be any impact on Wheeler’s value remains to be seen. The team still believes it can procure “something decent” in a trade, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.
If Wheeler isn’t able to make it back before the deadline for some reason, it’s still possible he could be dealt. But it’s quite possible the return wouldn’t be sufficient to prompt a move. The Mets can always hold on to Wheeler, hoping he can help spur a surprise run late this year while returning to full health, and then extend him a qualifying offer at season’s end.
Sign Wheeler !!
As soon as they trade him , they will be looking for a starting pitcher!!
They can also hold him, not extend him a QO, and watch him walk for nothing. It’s the Mets.
This will most likely be what happens, especially with the injury and what “shoulder fatigue/inflammation” could mean about his reliability and effectiveness in the future and in the playoffs since hed be grabbed by a contending team. His problem was already that he was inconsistent and the injury only adds more risk to that.
Theyll extend him a QO, but if I were him I dont see why on earth hed take it. They do a terrible job managing his arm/workload(well all their pitchers), FO runs the team terribly for years now, will likely try to be stingy when it comes to paying the guy his money on an extension after the QO. Why would he do that when he can test his value in FA, when there are teams like the Astros and Yankees who have been high on him for a while and would definitely be willing to pay him? Getting probably a 3+ year deal worth 50-60m+ and playing for a team that will be winning, and treat you far better than the Mets did sounds like an absolute no brainer to me, why hed want to take a QO and stay I cant find a single reason.
I’m hoping the Mets surprise themselves and actually figure out how to get some value from trading him. Between their incompetent ownership and rookie (and it’s showing) GM….there is a very small chance they actually get it right.
No chance
Latest on Zack Wheeler, he’s still with the Metz and the Beltan-Wheeler trade was still bad.
See, I could write these things.
How was it a bad trade??
I’ve said it before. I don’t think the Mets need to be sellers. The talent is there on this team to make a run. Getting into and winning the wildcard game would most likely draw them the Dodgers. I don’t think LA is unbeatable. No team in the NL except the Marlins should be a seller right now.
Youre delusional if you think the Mets shouldnt be sellers lol, their roster is a long ways off being a legit contender…they arent even in the discussion for their own division. The Mets arent winning anything this year, most likely nothing but a chance at a WC in 2020 and 2021 should be the time where it becomes a realistic possibility for them to contend against the Braves and compete in the playoffs. Thats assuming that Brodie makes the right moves and they spend the necessary money on the right guys though, they could just as easily still not be strong contenders by 2021 with BVW as their GM.
Given the fact they very likely wont have a team fully ready to not only contend but actually WIN the division until AT LEAST 2021, it makes absolutely no sense not to move Wheeler, and Thor as well(who is a FA after 2021, and given what hell be able to get in FA and the fact doesnt exactly love playing for the Wilpons, hell be walking no doubt). If you arent winning with either of them in the next year or two, keeping them is pointless when they can get you HUGE returns. Trading them+Frazier+whatever other spare parts would net the Mets A LOT of talent that they can use to trade for top players or keep them to add to the young core in the future. Just look at how incredible the Yankees trades in 2016 worked out, even though they were still in the hunt for the WC. Cashman was smart and would rather not have a slight chance at a WC when he could ensure the team would be contenders MUCH faster trading guys. The Mets would be stupid not to do something similar.
Just LOL @ this Mets roster beating the Dodgers in a 5 game series, truly delusional.
So the Mets would be smart to trade Syn for “Frazier + whatever other spare parts”…and that would be considered a HUGE return? On what planet does Clint Frazier headline a deal for Syn?
Frazier’s career numbers are uhm…mediocre to the most rose colored glasses yankees fan and completely forgettable to any baseball fan. He has a career negative WAR (-0.1). If you like oWAR (1) and dWAR (-1.6)…OUCH!
The Yankees don’t have the high-end prospects that are 1-2yr away that the Wiplons would want. The Yankees have some interesting young prospects, but they are 3-4 years away.
If the Mets were serious about moving Syndergaard they’d be looking at Tucker+ from the Astros, a talent AND volume option from the Padres (Paddack+ would be my hope, but I doubt they’d move him w/o a bidding war), or even the Braves who also have a STACKED system where any combo of guys could work for Syn.
I know Syn has had a down year, but his career numbers are really impressive and his FIP for this bad year is still 3.6ish….in the juiced ball year. He has a world of talent that likely would come out more if he wasn’t with such a loser organization like the Mets…and I say that as a diehard 30+ yr fan.
I hope the Mets have learned to get a key prospect (like Kelenic they just traded away) instead of 3-4 mid-level players with meh ceilings. The Astros are my hope because it gets him in the AL and they have the most intriguing top-end prospects that they could consider moving. Whitley on a down year and Tucker…I’m not sure if they’d consider moving both, but you’d have to seriously consider it despite the bad year by Whitley.
This is exactly the problem with Mets ownership; over valuing mediocre teams and thinking they can compete. They’re not even .500 and have a billion players playing out of position. If they don’t make any moves 2020 is going to be another disappointing year.
Hey Von-the first players that is out of position is the salesman agent who is playing GM.
Last nights game when a pop fly in extra innings lead to another walkoff loss for the Mets.
Mets loyalists think it’s no big deal…cough.
Real Mets loyalist should be hoping for a 100+ loss season to sneak into the top 3-4 in the draft. The Mets’ ability to win 70’something games is the kiss of death because they don’t draft well in the top 1-3 rounds. They need a top 3 pick for 2-3 years like HOU did to make a dent in their middle of the road minor league system.
From a team perspective, the Mets probably should extend a QO, but it would be foolish for Wheeler to turn it down. If Dallas Keuchel had to wait until after the draft to sign, Wheeler definitely will. Keuchel is both a better pitcher and had a far superior track record than Wheeler and he was still left out of a contract. The smart thing for the Mets to do is extend the offer, but if they don’t want him at the QO price, it might be better to just trade him now or let him walk. Because if he has to wait until after the draft to sign, the Mets don’t get any compensation anyway.
For one, no Wheeler would not have to wait at all? No clue where you got this logic from. Keuchel took so long to sign because of his age, declining peripherals, and wanting a deal NO ONE was going to give him. He wanted 4-5 year deal worth 20-25m AAV, because he thought he could actually get that with Boras, thats why he wasnt signed. I have absolutely no clue why you would think the first time Wheeler hitting FA he would have trouble being signed..? So is every FA pitcher going to not get signed who isnt an ace this off season too? Obviously not.
Secondly, he would get signed QUICKLY. Teams like the Astros and Yankees have been waiting to get their hands on him and are both really high on his arm talent and believe they will get more out of him than the Mets (and probably will). Their analytics depts, player development and ability to develop pitchers specifically will probably for sure make him better, and theyll take care of his arm way better than the Mets did. Wheeler would be stupid to forgo FA and take a QO with the Mets, negotiating an extension with them wont be fun for him since the Wilpons are cheap. There will certainly be competition to sign him, why would he take the QO (prob 16-18m) and stay with the Mets when hell be able to get a likely 2-4 year deal from a team like the Astros or Yankees worth probably in the range of 17-19m AAV? Hell actually be on a WS contender for years, be treated far better and probably become a better pitcher for it. Staying with the Mets sounds awful for him.
I can justify a QO for Bumgarner. Not Wheeler. He’d be lucky to have 2 years for $18-mil at this point.
Look at recent contracts….a $9m AAV is ridiculous for a former elite prospect who has show as close as 2nd half of ’18 to have elite stuff when everything is put together….good luck with that. He has warts, but so does basically every pitcher not named Scherzer or deGrom. Kershaw has some recent injuries and velocity drop that are concerning, but he is still elite too.