zach wheeler

New York Mets: Three potential free agent replacements for Zack Wheeler

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Will the New York Yankees land Zack Wheeler in free agency?

The New York Mets have a strong core in place, one that will probably guarantee a competitive team in 2020. However, there are still some areas of need, particularly a true center fielder and at least one additional starter to round out the rotation.

Zack Wheeler, who had a 3.96 ERA (3.48 FIP) in 195.1 innings with a 8.98 K/9 and 2.30 BB/9, was a very durable starter for the Mets the last two years after he overcame three seasons of injuries and ineffectiveness. He will be departing for Philadelphia, where he is going to slot behind Aaron Nola in the rotation after signing a five-year, $118 million pact this Wednesday.

Completing the New York Mets rotation

New York’s rotation will now be highlighted by the reigning, two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. He will be followed by righties Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman, with lefty Steven Matz as the fourth starter. The fifth spot is up for grabs.

It is unlikely that the team targets one of the two “tier one” options, Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg. It remains to be seen whether the Mets pursue one of the “tier two” hurlers (Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, or Dallas Keuchel) or if they bring someone cheaper, with the big arbitration raises of some players in mind (mainly deGrom.)

Given that the most likely scenario has each of the three mentioned pitchers in the “tier two” inking deals with other clubs, here are some potential free agency targets to replace the newly-departed Wheeler:

Michael Pineda

A 60-game suspension for taking banned substances took away what remained of his season in early September, but up to that point, the right-hander was having a very good season. He finished the year with a 4.01 ERA and a 4.02 FIP in 146 innings with the Minnesota Twins. He registered 8.63 K/9 and 1.73 BB/9 while finishing with 2.7 fWAR.

The fact he is still suspended for the first few weeks of the season shouldn’t stop the Mets from pursuing him, as he will likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal between $10 and $13 million, probably with an option.

His signature changeup generated 4.8 runs above average in Fangraphs’ pitch value chart. It is a thing of beauty. Here, you can see his fastball-changeup combo in action:

https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/1114598962781151232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Rick Porcello

Relying on Porcello to be your team’s ace or number two would probably drive you nuts. However, having him as a fourth or fifth starter would be a welcome development. He could command a two or three-year pact at $9-$10m AAV, which won’t break the bank.

At worst, Porcello is a league-average innings eater that will pitch nearly 200 innings. At best, well, he can win a Cy Young, as he did in 2016.

Although he is coming from a 5.52-ERA season and is not nearly the same hurler than that 2016 dude, the Mets can consider him. There is bounceback potential and he could stand to benefit from pitching in the National League. He has eight seasons of at least 2.0 fWAR.

Homer Bailey

Bailey represents the best bet to outperform his (likely) contract. He can probably be had at a one-year deal at approximately $5 or $6 million. At that price, the New York Mets should definitely consider him.

On the strength of his awesome splitter, he managed to help the Athletics in their road to the playoffs this year. He came from the Kansas City Royals in a trade and had a 4.30 ERA in 73.1 frames with Oakland.

Here is the phenomenal splitter in action:

Bailey can thrive as the Mets‘ fifth starter.

The Yankees enter the Zack Wheeler sweepstakes, but there’s competition

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Will the New York Yankees land Zack Wheeler in free agency?

The Yankees made it apparent that all free agent players are being considered this offseason, even after owner Hal Steinbrenner stated that the starting pitching rotation looked good in 2019 and that he would feel comfortable if the regular season started today.

Here’s the exact quote:

“If the 2020 season was to start tomorrow, I would feel considerably more confident than I did a year ago at this time,’’ Steinbrenner said. “We will have both Severino and Montgomery back. We now know that [Domingo] German can pitch effectively at this level. And we know [James] Paxton can be the guy that we were hoping for when we made that trade. We have [Masahiro] Tanaka, [J.A.] Happ, [Jonathan] Loaisiga, and perhaps [Deivi] Garcia at some point. A very good rotation.’’

A few weeks later, he advocated for the pursuance of all free agents, ensuring his staff would be discussing all potential deals and the value of the player. Starters Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, two of the best pitchers in baseball, dominate the headlines and rumors in regards to a pairing with the Bombers.

Steinbrenner stated in an interview with YES Network that “all options are open,” a bit different than his previous approach earlier on this offseason. However, interest is enough to get excited about, the reality of the Yankees signing Cole or Strasburg, not so much.

Steinbrenner has been willing to open up his checkbook for the outfield. Still, the starting rotation hasn’t seen many resources allocated towards it, so expecting the Yankees to drop over $25 million per season on a long-term deal for a top arm might be far-fetched. Alternatively, they could settle for a second-tier option like Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler, who featured on the New York Mets in 2019, has recorded an 8.9 fWAR over the last two seasons, which ranks as the ninth-best in all of baseball over that period. His career ERA of 3.77 isn’t in the ‘dominant’ range, but it’s better than any Yankee pitched last season.

The free-agent arm utilized his fastball frequently, consistently hitting in the upper-90s, which is precisely the type of pitcher the Yankees prefer. His secondary pitch is his sinker, which he throws nearly equally to his fastball. The sinker doesn’t have the same production as his fastball, but it hasn’t been detrimental to his performances.

There will be plenty of competition for Wheeler, as reports have indicated the Twins, White Sox, and Reds have all begun bidding on his services, with the Sox currently leading the pack with the highest offer, Ken Rosenthal stated with The Athletic.

Wheeler set career-highs in 2019 with 195.1 innings pitched and 195 strikeouts. He will cost far less than both Cole and Strasburg, but the Yankees would still have to pay a pretty penny for his services. Since Luis Severino will be returning in full-capacity, the Bombers anticipate him slotting into the ace position. Having numerous No. 2 options behind him would give them solid depth, especially in the case of injuries.

New York Yankees could trade for Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler

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New York Mets, Zack Wheeler

With the New York Mets boasting a 34-36 record, it’s clear the 2019 season isn’t going according to plan. If they continue to struggle, selling off some of their commodities might be a smart move to add value for the future. The New York Yankees could prove to be a solid trade partner.

With the Bombers looking to add a starting pitcher to the ranks, Mets’ Zack Wheeler could fit the fill. Sitting at 5-4 on the season with a 4.87 ERA, Wheeler is a solid option that can add depth to the starting rotation for the Yankees, and he likely wouldn’ tcost a fortune.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network has stated that there are several teams interested in Wheeler, the Yankees being one of them. Being in the final season of team control, Zach’s trade value is high. He’s earning a reasonable $5.975MM this season.

What would Zach Wheeler bring to the New York Yankees?

The Yanks generally like pitchers with a strong arm, something Wheeler has, featuring a 97 MPH fastball and a sinker that hits 96 frequently. He fits the bill perfectly for general manager Brian Cashman and being an above-average starter at the major league level will help a Yankees rotation that is suffering through the injury bug.

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They currently have Domingo German and Luis Severino on the injured list but have several starters playing through injuries as well. James Paxton and CC Sabathia both have inflammation issues. Not to mention Masahiro Tanaka’s inconsistency.

The Yankees have been relying on reserve options like Nestor Cortes and opener Chad Green. Bringing in a proven option to supplement the injuries and deficiencies might be exactly what the need. They currently have a slew of players they can utilize as trade bait – Clint Frazier, Gio Urshela, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, and minor league prospects.