Phillies, Ace Zack Wheeler Agree to Record Contract Extension
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler has secured a massive payday.
The righty has agreed to a three-year contract extension with the team worth $126 million with an average annual value of $42 million, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. The extension will begin in 2025 and runs through the 2027 season.
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Olney reports the deal is the most lucrative extension in baseball history as it pertains to average annual value. Aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer had average annual values of around $43 million when they signed with the New York Mets, but those were free-agent contracts.
Wheeler’s extension means he will no longer be a free agent at the end of the season. His initial contract with Philadelphia was a five-year deal worth $118 million.
A former Mets hurler himself, Wheeler has played for the Phillies the last four seasons. Last season he went 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA, finishing sixth in the Cy Young race and winning a Gold Glove. During his Philadelphia career, Wheeler has tallied a 3.06 ERA and 675 strikeouts.
The 33-year-old Wheeler was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants with the No. 6 pick in the 2009 MLB amateur draft. He made his debut in 2013 after the Giants traded him to the Mets for cash and Carlos Beltrán.
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