Report: Phillies Looking at Mets Pitcher Wheeler

The Phillies made what seemed to be their biggest trade deadline acquisition when they acquired infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the New York Mets.  Meanwhile, the club has been said to be looking at all available relievers on the market.  In an interesting twist, though, the Phillies may be looking at another Met: starter Zack Wheeler.

Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reports that the Phillies are among those interested in the Mets starting pitcher:

The Phillies had previously said that they were not pursuing starting pitching.

Wheeler was involved in one of the more memorable trade deadline deals in recent memory.  The San Francisco Giants were heavily criticized when they parted with Wheeler in exchange for Carlos Beltran in 2011.  The Giants used the veteran Beltran down the stretch but fell short of repeating their 2010 World Series Championship.

Wheeler has never really hit the expectations of the top prospect status he was supposed to have in New York.  After making 17 starts for the Mets in 2013, Wheeler joined the Mets starting rotation full-time in 2014.  That was, until injuries kept him off of the field.  Wheeler missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons before returning in 2017.

Wheeler made 17 starts for the Mets in 2017, going 3-7 with a 5.21 earned run average.  Wheeler is 20 starts deep into 2018 and is 5-6 with a 4.11 earned run average.  All and all in his career, Wheeler is 26-29 with a 3.95 earned run average in 86 starts.

However, Wheeler is showing signs of being healthy.  In five July starts, Wheeler is 3-0 with a 3.13 earned run average.

The non-waiver trade deadline is tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.