Ad Disclosure
Phillies and Zack Wheeler Reportedly Reach Multi-Year Contract Extension (UPDATED)
Published:
The Zack Wheeler extension is done, according to Buster Olney:
Zack Wheeler and the Phillies have agreed to a multi-year extension. Wheeler would have been the No. 1 pitcher free agent next fall, but instead, he stays in Philly. By season’s end, he will also accumulate 10-5 rights, and with that the power to veto any trade. Announcement…
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2024
No dollar amounts reported anywhere yet, but will update when that’s public. What’s our guess? 4 years, $150 million? 5 years, $175?
EDIT – here it is:
Zack Wheeler’s 3-year, $126 million extension is the highest annual salary for any contract extension ever.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 4, 2024
So they go high on the AAV and lower on the term length. Three years takes Wheeler to age 37. Not bad at all. He’s on the final year of a deal that pays about $23.5 million. As some people like to say, “it’s not our money.”
It was only about three weeks ago that Wheeler told reporters his agent was discussing a contract extension with the Phils. Really nice to see this taken care of before the regular season begins. He never seemed like a flight risk, but it’s reassuring to have this finished instead of having to wait all year long like the Aaron Nola situation.
Now we can get to the next order of business, which is telling Scott Boras and Bryce Harper to chill with the extension talks. You still have eight years remaining. Just relax with that.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com