Workhorses have to get paid, too.
Star ace Zack Wheeler has been quite the valued commodity since making his Phillies debut. Now, he'll get paid like one; Wheeler and the Phils' ironed out a three-year, $126 million extension to keep the star thoroughbred in Philadelphia through the 2027 season, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Since arriving in the City of Brotherly Love back in 2020, Wheeler has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. A three-time Cy Young vote-getter, Wheeler beguiles opposition batters with an elixir of hard stuff and breaking balls. He's proved to be one of the more durable starters in the league with Philadelphia, hovering around the 200 innings pitched mark on two different occasions and leading the league in innings pitched back in 2021.
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Wheeler becomes the second significant Phillies hurler to lock down his future with the franchise. Star righty Aaron Nola inked a big-money, $172 million extension with the franchise back in November. With two golden arms in its ranks, it seems Philadelphia is looking to make a splash during the 2024 season.
Here's what you need to know as the ink dries on Wheeler's latest deal.
Zack Wheeler contract details
The terms of Wheeler's new deal are as follows, per Olney:
- Contract length: Three years
- Contract value: $126 million
Wheeler will earn $42 million a season by way of average annual value (AAV) during his new contract, which kicks in during the 2025 season. That's the largest figure ever included in a contract extension, per Olney.
With his new deal, Wheeler immediately becomes one of the wealthier arms in all of baseball. He'll reel in the fourth-highest salary in 2024 among pitchers, trailing only Shohei Ohtani, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
The Phillies made sure to keep their prized asset off the 2024 free agency market. It certainly cost them a pretty penny, though. Not only will Wheeler be among the highest-paid hurlers in baseball come 2024. But he'll also accumulate 10-5 rights come season's end, giving him the power to veto any trade if the Phils want to offload him in the future.
Zack Wheeler age?
Surprisingly (perhaps), Wheeler will turn 34 during the 2024 season.
Blessed with the arm of a younger man, it's easy to forget that Wheeler made his big-league bow back in 2013. He's aged like wine ever since.
Wheeler has accrued some serious mileage over the course of his career. But his penchant for eating innings — and missing batters during them — is certainly alluring for a Philadelphia team hoping to hoist win it all in 2024.
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Zack Wheeler stats
Wheeler has been one of the game's most consistent arms since signing with the Phils as a free agent before the 2020 season.
He finished second in NL Cy Young voting back in 2021, leading the Senior Circuit in innings pitched (213.1) and strikeouts (247).
Here's what Wheeler's numbers have looked like throughout his time in the bigs:
| Year | Wins | Losses | Innings Pitched | ERA | Strikeouts |
| 2013 | 7 | 5 | 100.0 | 3.42 | 84 |
| 2014 | 11 | 11 | 185.1 | 3.54 | 187 |
| 2015 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017 | 3 | 7 | 86.1 | 5.21 | 81 |
| 2018 | 12 | 7 | 182.1 | 3.31 | 179 |
| 2019 | 11 | 8 | 195.1 | 3.96 | 195 |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | 71.0 | 2.92 | 53 |
| 2021 | 14 | 10 | 213.1 | 2.78 | 247 |
| 2022 | 12 | 7 | 153.0 | 2.82 | 163 |
| 2023 | 13 | 6 | 192.0 | 3.61 | 212 |