The Mets have reached an agreement with right-hander Zack Wheeler on a one-year deal worth $800K, thus avoiding arbitration, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter).
Wheeler comes in shy of the $1MM projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, although the unique circumstances surrounding his health make him a tricky player to project. Wheeler has undeniable talent and looked to be emerging as an excellent long-term rotation cog for the Mets when he tossed 285 1/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball from 2013-14. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2015 and missed the entire 2016 season due to lingering complications in his recovery. This winter marked his first trip through the arbitration process, and he remains controllable through the 2019 season.
The Mets are planning on Wheeler returning to health in 2017, though it’s not known exactly how heavily his arm can be depended upon. Now 26 years old, Wheeler is just one of many talented Mets arms that carries significant injury question marks. Matt Harvey underwent surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome this past summer (and has a Tommy John procedure under his belt as well), while Jacob deGrom had surgery to repair the ulnar nerve in his right arm and Steven Matz underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his left elbow (to say nothing of left shoulder issues that plagued him late in the year as well). Even ace Noah Syndergaard, who didn’t require any surgery or miss any time this year, was said to be pitching through a small spur in his own elbow.
As it stands, Wheeler could join that quartet in New York’s 2017 rotation, although there’s also been some talk of him working out of the bullpen as he eases back into the rigors of a Major League pitching regimen. If that’s the case, the Mets have a number of alternatives in the fifth spot of the rotation, headed by right-handers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa made his big league debut last year as well, and former top prospect Rafael Montero remains a depth option. Southpaw Sean Gilmartin, too, has plenty of experience starting, although he’s worked almost exclusively as a reliever in the Majors.
Mets are loaded with pitching if healthy, but pitching is oulier in the MLB.
Mets can either be a great team or a terrible team. If they stay healthy they could totally give the Cubs a run for their money. But when they’re not healthy, your looking at a 65-75 win team at best
Considering last year they weren’t healthy aside from Thor (although he too was injured) and still made the playoffs, I’d say they’re better than the 65-75 games you project.
87 wins last year without Harvey, Wheeler, deGrom, Matz, Wright, Duda, Walker, and d’Arnaud all missing serious time. Even Cespedes was not at 100% for a lot of the late summer, and Conforto had non medical issues. Heck, it’s easier to name players that did NOT miss at least a month. Um, Cabrera and Grandy? At least 500, even with an injury repeat.
lol. 65-75 wins? Even if they have some injuries, it’d be hard to top the # of starters they had out last year. More than half of their lineup was from AAA for the better part of the season and they were down multiple starting pitchers. If healthy the Mets could win 95+ this year.
Yeah that rotation is tops in all of baseball if they stay healthy. Any one of those 5 would be a top 2 starter on most other teams.
Every time I see a commenter question large contracts for players, guys like Zach Wheeler come to mind. Here’s a guy with a boatload worth of talent who, because of injury, may never make the dollars his trajectory would have indicated. That’s sad.
He could still cash in w a healthy year. Before injuries derailed him, his minor league coaches said he had some of the best pure stuff on the staff. Dude still has plenty of upside….I just hope he gets there bc the Mets are betting on multiple question marks this year.
Not that sad. I make $16.98 per hour.
Better that than $16.97 though.
Sorry dude
“He’s only going to make 800k this year. Isn’t that sad”
What? Lol
Well if you consider that the management team of his supplier has presided over unprecedented arm injuries then his career earning potential has been short circuited.
And please it is NOT coincidence. It is an incompetent approach that pushes young pitchers past their limit regardless.
“TC” is a joke. It didn’t start with this group. Look up the comeback of johan Santana. The idiot had no compassion for him as a player nor human being. So after years of toil, the dope left him out there during the “NO NO” and he was NEVER the same.
This stupidity combined with the frugal wilpons spells another season of disappointment with the metsies
True, although he has 3 more years until FA, so he has plenty of time to earn a huge contract (assuming his health woes are behind him – hope so).
And the mets are an example of what can easily happen to a team built around arms
Position players are a far safer bet, no doubt. However, if the Mets can (finally!) pull it together and have 5 TOR guys that are better than any staff in the majors. I’m not delusional to think everyone will be <3ERA and 1WHIP…but they could have 3 guys there (Syn, deGrom, Harvey), 1-2 in the low 3's (Matz..maybe Wheeler), and 1-2 guys 3.50ish (Gsellman/Lugo). That kind of depth doesn't exist in today's game.
The problem is that they have such a small chance of actually putting it all together.
Don’t bet your family vacation on it. Flushing is not a place to take your family for fun
You mean the example of two straight playoff appearances including a world series with homegrown arms?
Just wait man, braves are gonna show them how to really grow talent! I’m excited to see the battle of the NL East while the nationals and Marlins figure out how to run a baseball team
They made the the world series, then lost in the wc game, and now have a very uncertain future due to the injury issues. So yeah, if you wanna build your team to have a shaky 2 or 3 year window, then by all means, consider them a success.
I’ll take the cubs approach, which resulted in a the nlcs, then taking a step forward the next year to be the best team in mlb and win a ws while still having a solid future with multiple talented position players brought up through the farm to fill out their lineup
The Mets have built their team primarily from the farm and some key trades. If their owners were such dirtbags they could spend like the Cubs (which is the second half of their success after re-building their farm system) and be a juggernaut for the next 4-5+ years. Instead, they are a team that is more reliant on their starters than is recommended, and yet still found a way to be competitive in the face of a ridiculous # of injuries. If the Mets didn’t run into an all-time great in MadBum, they could have had another deep run in the playoffs.
What other teams right now would prefer their pitching staff to the Mets’ staff? Two teams…maybe?
Exactly.
Well, yes, but so are the 90s Braves. And while the Cubs built around position players, they didn’t exactly have a bad rotation last year. Mets’ lineup isn’t as good as the Cubs’ rotation. But much of that is ownership refusing to spend NY – level $$. They’re spending like a mid-market b/c owners are still trying to recoup their Madoff losses.
When (if?) they take the $$ shackles off, that could change fast. Hope it’s sooner rather than later.
Or maybe Jeff and daddy are just cheap
Wheeler could be the replacement closer during Familia’s inevitable 30 day suspension. Closers often have predictable warmup patterns (start in the 8th if you’re likely to be needed), which a recovering elbow needs. If they only use him every other day, for an inning, it might work…
yes and then once Familia gets back you can stretch him out and use him like a Andrew Miller in the middle inings
Wishful thinking will lead to disappointment.
Begin to get real NOW
Interesting idea
*ideas
While not a bad idea for next year, Wheeler’s stuff is too good to not have in the rotation. He may have the best stuff when on of any other on the Mets.
I think Wheeler starting the season in the bullpen is probably the best bet right now. Familia probably misses April. While Wheeler obv has the chops to be in the rotation….his comeback from TJS has been rather methodical…and for good reason. Big Sexy was an awesome insurance policy to have..but based on their performances last year….i feel comfortable with Gsellman and Lugo battling for that #5 spot….with both in the rotation to start the season to ease deGrom, Harvey and Matz back in from their respective surgeries.
Thor amd deGrom IMO are the 2 starters the Mets wanna lock up before they hit free agency….
I see deGroms floor as
5yr/$120mil
Syndergaards floor…..
6yr/$165mil
People keel talking about the Mets window closing…
I disagree…..The rotation…as long as it can stay relatively healthy….has a minimum 3 seasons together…
Dunn…Kay….Molina in the pipeline
They have a solid crop of young offensive players as well…
Conforto…Rosario…Dom Smith..Nimmo
As they continue to win and draw great attendance….they may finally take the restraints of Alderson when it comes to payroll….
Harper??Machado??Sale??
The scouting department has done a really good job with the draft and amature international signings…
Aldersons trades have worked out waaaay more than not….
This is the best ive felt about the Mets in a decade….they will be around the top of the league for the next decade…give or take a year or two.
We cant change our owners…but anothet solid year and i feel they will summon their inner Steinbrenner and open up their wallets. We shall see
I suggest that you visit your MD and ask to change your meds. Your dilution is out of control. The wilpons dont have an inner Steinbrenner. Their wallets are actually ziplock bags with coins. They will not sign two of the above. The pitchers and their agents hate management for milking their talents and making them vulnerable to career ending surgeries and the owners are just plain cheap.
If the Mets rotation can stay healthy, I think that they’ll easily win 90 games. If they can easily win 90 games then I think they’ll easily make the playoffs. If four or more of their starting pitchers get injured and miss significant time, I think the Mets won’t be drawing any rave reviews for their pitcher.