Brandon Nimmo and JD Davis Say it Will Be a 'Problem' if Zack Wheeler Signs With Phillies

Zack Wheeler is one of the top-end starting pitchers on the free agent market, and for good reason. Wheeler is a dependable option, and while not the ace many in the Mets organization once thought he'd be, his viability as a mid-rotation option cannot be questioned.

Wheeler is smart to listen to all offers this winter, as this is his chance to cash in on a respectable 2019 campaign, in which he pitched to a 3.96 ERA and 1.26 WHIP (most importantly while staying healthy). With his former division rival Phillies in need of starting pitching, Wheeler's been connected with the Mets' NL East foe, much to the chagrin of his former teammates, who spoke out at a charity event on Wednesday.

Sure, it'd less than ideal for Wheeler to sign with a team the Mets are directly competing with for a division crown, but that's just the unpredictability of MLB free agency. We'll have to assume, in this case, they're simply speaking from the Mets' perspective, and that such a move wouldn't drive a wedge in their relationship in any way.

Replacing Wheeler is tough enough. Doing so when he's explicitly making the Phillies -- a team in a similar stage of competing as they are -- better is an issue. Yet it's one they ought to be prepared to deal with.

Wheeler is likely to demand a contract out of the Mets' price range, which is their own fault. Brodie Van Wagenen should've known Wheeler was likely to leave in free agency and dealt him at the trade deadline despite the Mets' adorable, yet brief run to NL Wild Card relevance.

Now, they may have to deal with the severe, yet very fair consequences.