The Phillies and right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that begins in 2025 and runs through the 2027 season.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski made the announcement.
Wheeler, 33, is entering his fifth season with the Phillies after signing a five-year contract on Dec. 9, 2019. Over his first four seasons in Philadelphia, Wheeler has made 101 starts and is 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA (214 ER, 629.1 IP) and 675 strikeouts to 135 walks (5.00 SO/BB ratio). He has faced 2,531 batters and limited them to a .225/.275/.345 slash line (.620 OPS).
Since 2020, he leads all major league pitchers in fWAR at 19.3, which is 1.4 wins ahead of Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes who ranks second at 17.9. Among all players since 2020, Wheeler’s 19.3 fWAR ranks seventh behind only Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani (26.4), New York’s Aaron Judge (23.6), Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman (23.1), Los Angeles’ Mookie Betts (21.5), Cleveland’s José Ramirez (21.4) and teammate Trea Turner (19.8).
In 11 postseason games (10 starts), Wheeler has posted a 2.42 ERA (17 ER, 63.1 IP), 0.73 WHIP (10 BB, 36 H), 6.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio (68 SO) and has held the 238 batters he has faced to a .161/.210/.250 slash line (.460 OPS). Among all pitchers in major league postseason history to face a minimum of 200 batters, Wheeler ranks first in WHIP and opponent’s on-base percentage, second in opponent’s batting average and third in opponent’s OPS and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The reigning National League Gold Glove Award winner among pitchers, Wheeler ranks tied for fifth among all pitchers in Defensive Runs Saved since 2020 (with Dallas Keuchel) and trails only teammates Taijuan Walker (18 DRS) and Ranger Suárez (17 DRS), Zack Greinke (15 DRS) and Miami’s Jesús Luzardo (14 DRS).
Wheeler was an NL All-Star in 2021 when he finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting. That same season, he was also named All-MLB Second Team and was named a NL Gold Glove Award finalist.
A native of Smyrna, Ga., Wheeler was originally selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (6th overall) of the 2009 MLB Draft. He was traded to the New York Mets on July 28, 2011, in exchange for outfielder Carlos Beltrán. Over nine major league seasons with the Phillies and Mets, Wheeler has made 227 career starts and is 87-63 with a 3.45 ERA (528 ER, 1378.2 IP).
