Philadelphia Phillies trade rumor: Zack Wheeler on the trade block

The Philadelphia Phillies trade rumor mill is getting hot.

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t been quiet when talking about how much money they lost in 2020 due to COVID-19, but it appears they’re in such dire straits that they’re open to trading starting pitcher Zack Wheeler.

This Phillies trade rumor is courtesy of ESPN’s Buster Olney, who says the “Phillies have communicated to other teams that they are facing a financial crunch and are open to offers.”

Last year the Phillies added Wheeler on a five-year $118 million contract to give them one of the best 1-2 punches in the league behind Aaron Nola and solidify a starting rotation in shambles.

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Philadelphia still owes Wheeler $96.5 million over the next four years, which will give a team the option of either trading prospects or big league talents for that contract or sign Trevor Bauer to a richer deal in free agency.

Last year in 11 starts Wheeler was 4-2 with a 2.92 ERA and 53 strikeouts. He was everything the Phillies hoped he could be, giving them a quality start in 7 of his 11 appearances.

If the Phillies are looking to move Wheeler, they’re likely to ask for young, controllable pitching that can fill his role. Olney names the Mets (Wheeler’s former team) and the Blue Jays (who have been connected to the Phillies in trade talks already) as teams who are looking for starting pitching help.

This deal only makes sense for the Phillies if they can get one of those big young arms back, but we saw what happened when they traded Ken Giles for Vince Velasquez and Mark Appel. These trades are not guaranteed to be golden and always come with risk.

Behind Bryce Harper, who Olney does not believe the Phillies are open to trading, Wheeler is making the most on Philadelphia’s payroll next year. Of course, this is before a potential J.T. Realmuto contract, which may or may not get added to the books.

Should the Phillies lose Wheeler, Realmuto, and shortstop Didi Gregorius, they’ll be in for a long season with fans questioning the owner’s desire to win, this after he became famous for saying he wanted his (bleep’n) trophy back.