Once Aaron Nola was re-signed to a long-term deal, the front office could focus on getting Zack Wheeler an extension as well.
The Philadelphia Phillies achieved their primary offseason objective when they re-signed Aaron Nola, their ace, to a long-term deal worth $172 million and seven years.
There were rumors that the elite right-hander would leave the Phillies in free agency. Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, repeated that idea several times as well.
In the end, they managed to retain Nola and position him at the head of their rotation going forward.
On the list of things to do, there is now another priority.
Philadelphia would like to extend Zack Wheeler before he ever hits the open market because he is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season.
Even though they were able to get Nola back, they might not be as fortunate with Wheeler as he hasn’t had the same ups and downs as Nola while wearing a Phillies uniform.
In light of this, what is Philadelphia’s current position regarding completing that extension?
Dombrowski claims that not much appears to have changed in that regard.
“We are aware that we would like to retain him for a considerable amount of time. It’s not always simple, though. Consequently, I’m confident we’ll pursue it eventually. However, I’m not sure how crucial it is for them right now,” he said to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
The Phillies’ owner’s statement raised more questions than it did answers.
That suggests that no offer appears to have been made, and it’s unclear when one will be. Additionally, it appears from Dombrowski that Wheeler and his representative are open to exploring free agency following the season.
Philadelphia should steer clear of that at all costs.
Given what Wheeler has accomplished for the Phillies during his time there, his current five-year, $118 million contract may be considered one of the best free agent signings in history.
With a minimum of 10 starts, the star righty’s 2.42 ERA in the playoffs is the sixth-best in MLB history, and his 19.3 fWAR over the last four seasons is the best in the league among pitchers.
As they pursue World Series titles, it appears that the organization would like to keep Wheeler and Nola together for many years to come.
While Dombrowski spends the remainder of the winter making sure Wheeler doesn’t hit the open market, he should begin focusing on extension negotiations this offseason.
