Should the Phillies consider trading Zack Wheeler? ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the possibility in an insider column for ESPN.com.
"You'd assume that some team would ask the Philadelphia Phillies if they are interested in talking about Zack Wheeler—and Philadelphia would be crazy not to explore the possibilities of what the return for Wheeler would be, with the right-hander dominating, and how the resulting payroll flexibility might work for them in 2022," Olney wrote. "For the record: Phillies owner John Middleton declared during the winter he would not trade Wheeler for Babe Ruth."
Wheeler is in the second year of his five-year, $118 million deal with the Phils.
The 31-year-old right-hander is having the best season of his career as he is 6-4 with a 2.05 ERA (4th best in MLB) in 17 starts with 139 strikeouts (1st in MLB), just 25 walks, in 114 innings pitched already (1st in MLB), reaching his first all-star game. Wheeler has a 5.2 WAR, which is currently the best for any starting pitcher.
The Phillies are hovering around .500 at 41-42, putting them 4.0 games back of the Mets in the NL East. While the Phils have won two straight, they also a -16 run differential and played far from inspiring ball throughout this first half of the season.
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As a team, the Phillies are right around average when it comes to hitting. However, their 18th in overall ERA and only eight teams have given up more home runs than them, with 107.
Phillies 39-year-old GM Sam Fuld, who took over this past December, will have his hands full with Major League Baseball's July 30th trade deadline quickly approaching.
To sell or to buy, that is the question.
