Having lost Blake Snell to the injured list last week, the Rays are in pursuit of Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, Andy Martino of SNY reports.
This isn’t the first time the Rays have been connected to Wheeler, though Snell wasn’t on the IL when Wheeler was initially said to be on the club’s radar. Snell underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery last week, which should shelve him for close to a month. His absence leaves a Rays team already low on traditional starters with Charlie Morton, Yonny Chirinos and the soon-to-be recalled Brendan McKay as its top options.
Despite their lack of conventional starters, the Rays are in possession of a 61-48 record and just a half-game behind a wild-card spot. Acquiring Wheeler may give the Rays the over-the-top push they’re seeking, though the Mets aren’t a sure thing to trade the 29-year-old soon-to-be free agent. They’ve climbed to within five games of a playoff spot thanks to a recent hot streak, and keeping Wheeler along with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman and Steven Matz would give them one of the best rotations in baseball on paper. Wheeler has provided New York 124 innings of 4.71 ERA/3.65 FIP pitching with 9.92 K/9 and 2.46 BB/9 this year.
The Mets are exploring every possible way to keep the Yankees from getting the pitchers they want(Yes! Obviously the Yankees can up their offers)
It doesn’t matter what the Yankees can do. The Rays won’t trade to a team in the same division i believe.
The point was that the Mets won’t trade with the Yankees. Not that the Rays won’t trade with them.
I want a pitcher.
Don’t do it Brodie. This re has a very favorable schedule and with the rotation as is would have a great chance at a run at a playoff spot. Keep your starters, Please!
This team is what I meant to write.
Stop drinking the Kool Aid. This team is not catching the top four teams in the wild card. If you want any hope for next year it’s time to trade Wheeler.
I agree i would even trade Syndergaard. They won’t reach the playoffs this year. Its an illusion
As currently rostered, I think the mets are 12.5% chance at making the playoffs. If the Mets could get in…watch out bc their pitching could dominate if their starters go deep. Unfortunately, I expect the Mets to regress at some point in the next month and still land in the 72-75 win range like most years over the past decade+. Too low to get a high-end draft pick, but they still stink. They needed to tank like HOU did for a few years in a row.
Yes
It’s a move that makes sense for them.
Lucius Fox to Gotham is a must.
I’m the Mets. I keep a pitcher I could get value for, miss the playoffs, then let him go for nothing. I am brilliant.
…or you sign him to a new contract. I believe they would also receive compensation if they lose him.
Awe Jim…..that makes too much sense lol
Exactly
I’m the Mets. I’m not going to re-sign him. Then again, they traded away what little depth they had in the minors. *And* Thor gets traded this off-season anyway.
I’d rather they keep him and get that second-round pick he’ll be worth if they can’t get any real value for him now.
Wheeler will be *far* more signable than Noah. Noah wants big $ (and deserves it) and ownership dislikes him. Wheeler should be saddled with a QO, which will hurt his signability. If he accepts the QO at ~$18m, it’s a bit steep, but not horrible bc of his upside.
Ideally the Mets either trade him for a better than expected prospect bc a team panics, or they hold onto him and QO him and hope to work out an extension. 4/$70m is still my hope…it would be 3/$52m if they QO him and then extend him starting 2021.
If they don’t trade him, a QO is guaranteed this winter.
And they will be paying 18+ mil for a pitcher to rebuild his value while heading to FA the year after with no QO attachment!
Exactly !
if they keep Zach you can expect a QO at end of the year
Twins and Yankees are being cheap while the pool of available arms seem to be drying up fast
Now that’s hilarious. The Yankees not wanting a quarter billion payroll and now they’re cheap?? And I’m not a Yankees fan.
Cheap in terms of what they’re willing to give up, obviously.
No Rays! We got in House depth for SP and we don’t need to give up Prospects for someone with a 4.5+ ERA. Don’t do it Bloom don’t !!!!
They DO need starter help and who is available better than what they have? Just no elite prospect for a rental.
Imagine the Rays getting Wheeler, making the postseason, re-signing him and pairing him with Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and the opener in 2020…well, I can dream.
Then you throw in Honeywell or McKay and
They have future ace McKay who has dominated already and snell, Morton, Glasnow, Mckay, wheeler is unhittable. Getting snell and glasnow back in September
Yep scratch the opener and let’s get a solid 5, when one goes down, then we can open here and there. But I think we have a solid 5 now once Snell and Glasnow comes back when you include McKay and Chirinos and Yarbrough
Imagine the Rays getting Wheeler, making a postseason run, resigning Wheeler, then having a 2020 rotation of Morton, Wheeler, Snell, Glasnow & the opener…well, I can dream right?
Awe Jim…..that makes too much sense lol
If Wheeler goes to another team, I really would like to see him on the Rays or Twins. I like both teams, they both have had some tough years, but they are on the upswing.