With big-name free agents still out there, the Phillies are more focused on keeping stars like Zack Wheeler in Philly.
Over the past two years, Zack Wheeler has pitched in numerous major league games.
The Phillies don’t seem to be trying to make any more splashes after signing Aaron Nola and then losing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the top player available in the post-Shohei Ohtani free agency.
Josh Hader, the best closer in the league, former MVP Cody Bellinger, and Cy Young winner Blake Snell are just a few of the names that could still be useful to Philly. However, Dave Dombroswki and the Phillies front office seem to have other priorities than adding another star. And that’s keeping star pitcher Zack Wheeler in the lineup through 2024.
A few days before Christmas, an MLB.com piece stated that the first objective is to get the starter signed to an agreement.
What happens next?
“It’s more about making our team better on the peripherals,” Dombrowski stated.
It denotes both bullpen depth and rotation. (Free agents like Josh Hader, Blake Snell, and others are still incredibly doubtful.) There was a notion that the Phillies may attempt to acquire an outfield player as a backup in the event that center fielder Johan Rojas had trouble. However, the Phillies do not want to add someone who demands a lot of playing time in order to deny Rojas an opportunity.
Dombrowski stated that any outfielder the Phillies would sign “might be going around the periphery.”
Apart from comparatively minor improvements, insiders stated that extending the contract of star Zack Wheeler is the top goal. They always intended to go after it, even in the unlikely event that they were able to sign Yamamoto. [MLB.com]
The team’s remaining free agency effort appears to be limited to adding some depth (but it could be a calculated move to downplay their interest in the top guys?).
In any case, Wheeler’s contract extension with the Phillies would contribute to extending this team’s championship window. They have an abundance of elite players on elite, long-term contracts:
| Player | Age | Through |
| Trea Turner | 31 | 2033 |
| Bryce Harper | 31 | 2031 |
| Aaron Nola | 31 | 2030 |
| Nick Castellanos | 32 | 2026 |
| Taijuan Walker | 31 | 2026 |
| Jose Alvarado | 29 | 2026 |
| Kyle Schwarber | 31 | 2025 |
| J.T. Realmuto | 33 | 2025 |
| Seranthony Dominguez | 29 | 2025 |
| Matt Strahm | 32 | 2024 |
| Zack Wheeler | 34 | 2024 |
The only two prominent Phillies players who are not under team control for many years to come are Wheeler and reliever Matt Strahm. In addition, he is the oldest player on the previous list.
Since moving to Philadelphia, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, despite his advanced age. Using Statmuse, the following is a look at some of his MLB rankings among all starting pitchers since joining the Phillies in 2020, including postseason:
| Category | Stat | Rank |
| ERA | 3.00 | 3rd |
| Innings Pitched | 692.2 | 3rd* |
| Strikeouts | 743 | 5th* |
| FIP | 2.63 | 1st |
| Wins | 46 | 5th |
| fWAR | 19.3 | 1st |
*Wheeler is behind teammate Aaron Nola of the Phillies in these areas.
It’s unlikely that the two sides are that far off on AAV for an extension given that the Phillies already pay Wheeler $23.5 million annually, but it’s plausible that the years are the sticking point. In a few seasons, the Phillies will be quite elderly, as you can see above. For instance, Harper, Turner, and Nola, all of whom are 38 years old, will all be under contract in 2030. It makes perfect sense to extend Wheeler’s contract by two or three years. Maybe four or five years won’t be enough for him.
In any case, the Phillies appear content with the starting five they have envisioned for 2024, which include Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez, Cris Sanchez, Wheeler, and Nola. The team still boasts one of the finest rotations in baseball, even though it should add some depth and competitiveness for spring training.
When Nola decided to play out his contract and stay a Phillies free agent last year instead of signing an extension, the Phillies front staff went down to the wire. Of course, the Phillies would prefer to avoid such uncertainty for two seasons in a row.
