By CJ Carlson
The Philadelphia Phillies were well aware of the looming contract situation between them and Zack Wheeler. Now, that situation is a thing of the past. The team just announced that they will be extending Wheeler’s contract moving forward, giving him a three-year, $126 million contract.
Philadelphia has been searching for another World Series title ever since they won it back in 2008, but since then they’ve consistently fallen short. They currently have one of the best rosters they’ve fielded in quite some time, and under no circumstances did they want Wheeler to walk away.
Wheeler’s extension is actually a new record for the highest annual salary for an extension. Had he not been given this extension, he would have been able to hit free agency next offseason, where there’s no doubt that he’d have many offers on the table.
Philadelphia hasn’t just taken care of Wheeler this offseason either. They were able to lock down Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract extension a few months ago. The combination of him and Wheeler just proves that the club is willing to spend big money in order to win games this year. So much so that they almost landed Yoshinobu Yamamoto before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Had they pulled that off, it really would have put their championship chances in a new light.
Philadelphia Phillies Hoping To Run It Back
The Phillies have made sure to keep a great core together, particularly on the mound. Wheeler, Nola, Taijuan Walker, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez put together a great season in 2023. The rotation had the third-best WHIP of any team in the National League, the third-lowest ERA, and the third-most quality starts.
Nola himself finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2022 and had another strong year in 2023, even if his numbers dipped a small bit in comparison. He was 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA, while Wheeler was 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 192 innings. Wheeler was sixth in Cy Young voting in 2023.
This team is clamoring for a title, and they’ve been so close lately. In 2022, they were able to make it into the World Series before losing in six games. The following year, they made it into the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks before getting eliminated in a tough Game 7. Maybe 2024 is the year for this team to finally get over the hump.
