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New York Mets: Is Zack Wheeler the pitcher to trade?

By Nick Ziegler

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The New York Mets and their general manager Sandy Alderson have recently said they are willing to “overpay” for the right hitter, and that has raised many questions.

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With the prized pitching prospects seemingly not available to be traded, does that mean that Alderson wouldn’t rule out trading the injured Zack Wheeler?

The Mets’ rotation has some serious talent with Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, who look to be the untouchable pitchers. Wheeler has also been regarded as a top prospect, but after suffering a torn UCL before the season started, Wheeler has become an afterthought in the Mets’ future.

Wheeler is still a bit of an unknown with only about one and a half seasons as a starting pitcher for the Mets. In 2013, Wheeler was 7-5 with a 3.42 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 100 innings. In 2014, Wheeler made 32 starts, which resulted in an 11-11 record and a 3.54 ERA. The numbers are very respectable for Wheeler so far, but the Mets believe that their new wave of pitchers will be better than Wheeler.

Due to recovering from Tommy John surgery, Wheeler won’t be ready until the middle of the 2016 season, but for a selling team at the trade deadline, Wheeler can be a great player to look at. Players are allowed to be traded despite being on the disabled list, which makes Wheeler an option for Alderson to trade.

The Mets seem to be enamored with utility man Ben Zobrist of the Oakland Athletics, and Wheeler could be the piece to bring him in.

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With the recent struggles of Michael Cuddyer and Juan Lagares in the outfield, the Mets may be looking to make a deal to add another outfield, as Alderson could be making multiple trades.

The Mets need to make some kind of deal to add at least one bat, and for this season at least, moving Wheeler would improve the team. Wheeler doesn’t project to be an ace, but not too long ago the Mets believe he would be their No. 2 behind Harvey.

Any team that could trade for Wheeler would be taking a risk with him coming off Tommy John surgery, but success rates are generally high with the procedure. Getting a pitcher with the potential of Wheeler would be a very good move for a team trading a rental player. For Alderson and the Mets, decisions about the future of the pitching staff can’t be easy to make with none of their pitchers being truly proven over a large sample size.

Alderson also needs to judge whether or not the Mets are true contenders this season, as one move still may not be enough to get the Mets into the playoffs. Trading a young pitcher like Wheeler could certainly backfire if the Mets missed the playoffs this season. Wheeler’s value in the trade market is a bit of an unknown with the injury, but he would likely be a lot more back than the trade of Niese.

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