Spring training may be in full swing, but that doesn’t mean that the Philadelphia front office isn’t still busy planning for the future.
The club announced Monday that they had reached an agreement with starting pitcher Zach Wheeler which will pay him $126M over the next 3 years. Wheeler, who was entering the final season of his previous 5 year pact, will now be tied to the franchise through the 2027 season.
Coming in at an AAV of $42M per season, the new deal officially becomes the most lucrative extension in terms of average annual value in MLB history. While other free agent signings may have narrowly edged it out, Wheeler’s new contract represents a new benchmark for teams looking to extend their existing assets. The deal does not feature any opt out clauses.
When factoring in the original 5 year, $118M contract, Wheeler will essentially have earned $30.5M per season over the lifetime of his 8 years in Philadelphia. Coming off a 2023 campaign which saw him post a 13-6 record, with 212 K’s through 192IP, the hard throwing righty is likely worth every penny of those figures in the mind of Phillies management.
The 33 year old sports a 3.06 ERA, with a 137 adjusted ERA+, and 675 K’s over 629.1IP in his first 4 years with the club. Across 11 postseason games however, his ERA has dropped even lower to a sparkling 2.42 when the lights shine the brightest.
Philadelphia, who have reached at least the NL Championship series in each of the last two years, hasn’t been shy about spending money over the last few offseasons. Other recent big money signings include fellow starter Aaron Nola, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto.
While Wheeler’s contract doesn’t feature any kind of formal no-trade clause, the Georgia native will acquire 10-5 rights (10 years service, 5 with the same team) after the conclusion of the 2024 season. As such, he will be able to veto any potential future trades.
The Phillies continue their spring training action Monday at 1:07pm ET against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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