New York Mets haven’t discussed an extension with Zack Wheeler

The New York Mets and Zack Wheeler have reportedly been silent on the topic of an extension. What’s a guy gotta do to get a long-term deal?

While much of the New York Mets offseason has been about Jacob deGrom winning his first Cy Young, trade rumors about Noah Syndergaard, and what the heck they can do with Jason Vargas, there’s one starter standing in the back waiting to be heard.

Following a breakout campaign in 2018, Zack Wheeler will embark on the final year of his contract with the Mets next spring. Unfortunately, it may indeed be his last one as the two sides have yet to discuss an extension, according to Matt Ehalt of The Record.

It’s possible we’ve already seen the last of Wheeler in a Mets uniform. Although trade rumors have focused on Syndergaard, he is also a candidate to swap cities this winter.

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I don’t think the Mets will trade Wheeler because the return they would get is quite limited. With only one year of control remaining, the only teams he matches up with well are those in a position to win it all next year. Even they would have some doubts.

From a New York perspective, the 2018 season was a promising one for Wheeler. He went 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA and finished the year about as strong as anyone could. Outsiders likely don’t see it this way. Many men have dominated over short spans.

In a way, Wheeler’s second-half of 2018 reads on his resume as “CEO of Amazon for three months.” Before that, he was digging ditches, performing street magic, and offering hairstyle-advice to Bryce Harper. Can you tell I’m not a fan of the D-Bag crew cut?

I fully understand why they wouldn’t want to go down the negotiating road quite yet. Wheeler’s most recent season cries for an extension. Everything before it suggests they should let him walk away. By entering these talks early, they may screw things up in the long-term.

I’m perfectly fine waiting on an extension with Wheeler. He needs more than one year to convince me he’s worth a long-term commitment. Syndergaard is closer to free agency than we realize and deGrom is overdue for his own deal.

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The Mets have a lot to work on this year. Signing Wheeler to an extension too soon is not on the agenda and something I would prefer to see him force in the early part of the season from the field.