Zack Wheeler’s name has been thrown into the rumor mill over the past few weeks and the New York Yankees are reportedly interested in his services.
New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has pitched well lately. So well, in fact, that he now also must deal with the stress and uncertainty of being part of trade rumors over the next couple weeks.
Judging from the latest rumors, though, there’s at least a small chance he wouldn’t actually have to uproot his life and make a big move in the middle of the season. Of course, that’d only happen if the New York Yankees‘ reported interest in him is legitimate and gains some kind of steam.
Andy Martino of SNY broke this news, but also throws some cold water on it at the same time. In his report, he stated the Mets would likely be motivated to make a deal if they get a couple prospects in return (with one being of the top-10 variety).
He also says there is nothing currently close to completion at the moment — for Wheeler, closer Jeurys Familia, or infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.
The interest in Wheeler makes a lot of sense. Although the Yankees are reportedly in the running for Manny Machado’s services, their biggest need lies within the starting rotation.
Wheeler serves as an affordable ($1.9 million salary for 2018) and controllable option (won’t become a free agent until after 2019) for the Yankees to pursue. He’s also been hitting his stride lately — after posting a 5.40 ERA through his first 50 innings, that number has dropped down to 3.44 since June 1 (49.2 frames).
There was plenty of chatter about the potential of a trade between the Mets and Yankees surrounding Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in recent weeks. While the stakes are a lot lower with Wheeler being the rumored target, it’s still going to be difficult for these two organizations to match up on a trade.
Crazier things have happened, though.
