Phillies ace Zack Wheeler got the largest contract extension in MLB history — and deserves every dollar

Four years ago, Zack Wheeler wasn’t notable enough to get his own news conference from the Phillies. Now, he’s the recipient of the richest contract extension in MLB history.

On Monday, Wheeler and the Phillies announced an MLB-record extension: three years, $126 million. The deal won’t kick in until the start of 2025, but when it does, Wheeler’s $42 million salary will represent the largest extension in baseball history by annual average. It’s a hefty but deserved figure for a pitcher who has done nothing but dominate during his time in red pinstripes.

“To us, Zack is one of the best pitchers in the game of baseball,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski gushed Monday at a news conference at the team’s spring training complex. “I don’t think I could think of another individual I would want in a big game. … It’s a happy day for us.”

But back in December 2019, when the Phillies signed Wheeler to a five-year, $118 million deal, they didn’t see his addition as worthy of its own introductory event. Even though Wheeler left money on the table from the Chicago White Sox in order to be closer to his wife’s family in New Jersey, the club welcomed the then-30-year-old hurler alongside fellow free agent Didi Gregorious. Flanking the signees that afternoon at a long, red table on the Citizens Bank Park club level were general manager Matt Klentak and recently hired skipper Joe Girardi.

It was an optimistic time in Phillies World. The team was a winter removed from signing Bryce Harper and trading for JT Realmuto. A wave of young players such as Scott Kingery and Alec Bohm were funneling up to the bigs. The big-money additions of Gregorius and Wheeler were taken as a sign that ownership was committed to spending on the roster.

“Thank you for joining us,” began Scott Palmer, a former local TV sportscaster emceeing the event. “As we welcome Didi, and also Zack, to our Phillies family.”

Fast-forward four years, and “Also Zack” is the only member of that quartet still employed by the Phillies. In the intervening years, Klentak and Girardi have been let go — Klentak in 2020, Girardi in 2022 — and Gregorius was released in August 2022 after two straight abhorrent offensive seasons.

But Wheeler has been a franchise-altering force, one of the two or three greatest pitching acquisitions in the long history of MLB free agency. Only Randy Johnson and Max Scherzer can compete with the dominance of this four-year stretch by Wheeler. Since debuting with the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler is 11th league-wide in ERA, fourth in innings, fourth in home run rate, 10th in walk rate, eighth in strikeouts and first in FanGraphs WAR. The former first-round pick has also led the Phillies rotation the past two Octobers, compiling a 2.42 ERA in 63⅓ postseason innings.

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The guy who former Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said parlayed “two good half-seasons over the last five years into $118 million” is now indisputably one of the best pitchers in baseball. As the Phillies’ money-jolted rebuild stalled and sputtered in 2020 and 2021, Wheeler stayed the course, garnering Cy Young votes both seasons. And when Philadelphia turned the corner in 2022, Wheeler kept carving, helping the Phillies ascend to perennial National League contenders.

So with his previous contract set to expire this November, both sides were intent on reaching an agreement. At the first day of camp this spring, Wheeler indicated to media including Yahoo Sports that he was committed to remaining in Philadelphia for the rest of his career.

“It’s not all about the money to me, either,” he told reporters Feb. 14. “You know, I took less to come here and be in a good spot and be happy and have family be happy.”

In the end, Wheeler got the best of both worlds: continuity and coin.

Both he and Dombrowski expressed that Wheeler pushed for a shorter contract with a higher annual value. That preference reflects what those around the Phillies have told Yahoo Sports: That unlike Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer or Rich Hill, Wheeler is not interested in pitching into his 40s. He does not want to hang on past his expiration date. Instead, the understanding is that whenever Wheeler's body stops allowing him to perform at an elite level, he’ll call it a career.

But that day isn’t coming anytime soon. Wheeler remains incredibly committed to his process, to readying his body for the rigors of 200 innings. He has developed a seamless relationship with catcher Realmuto and pitching coach Caleb Cotham, which allows him to focus more on physical preparation than game-planning. And most importantly, as he shared Monday, he still loves competing — the fire inside him still burns.

The Phillies know that. They witness it daily. That’s part of why they felt good bestowing such a large cache of cash unto Wheeler. That idea of knowing, of understanding, of comfort, is why these two parties were always going to remain together. Wheeler and his family love the Phillies; the Phillies love Wheeler. This was the inevitable conclusion.

And the aura of optimism that swirled around Wheeler's introductory news conference back in 2019 has only grown. So while there was less pomp and circumstance the second time around — Wheeler traded a crisp, navy suit for a ratty, white T-shirt — the expectations have been raised and then some.

That’s in large part because of what Wheeler has become.