CLEARWATER — They connected over a conversation about wrestling. Zack Wheeler, then a 29-year-old right-handed pitcher who had always shown potential with the Mets but never fully realized it, was meeting with John Middleton, a middle-aged businessman and philanthropist who also owned the Phillies.
“We started talking about competing,” Wheeler said of their meeting in the winter of 2019. “He wrestled in college, and I think he understood what it meant for me to compete. He understood how important it is to want to win.”
The Phillies managing partner has proven it with his pocketbook.
A five-year, $118 million offer (less than the White Sox offered) and his connection with Middleton convinced Wheeler to sign with the Phillies. The contract was the catalyst that helped Philadelphia develop into a powerhouse the past several seasons. The next spring, Middleton signed Bryce Harper for 13 years and $330 million, and the team pulled off a trade for catcher JT Realmuto. Last year, they added shortstop Trea Turner on an 11-year, $300 million contract.
“I think I was really the first one they invested in, and then there was Bryce and JT, and those commitments mean a lot to us in (the clubhouse),” Wheeler said. “It shows (Middleton) wants to compete and win.”
What has Middleton gotten in return for his huge investment?
The Phillies went to the World Series in 2022 and advanced to the National League Championship Series in 2023 before falling to the Diamondbacks. Philadelphia again is expected to battle Atlanta for the National League East title (considered by many the toughest in baseball) and be among the contenders for the World Series this season.
Wheeler arguably was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the first four years of his contract. He’s been the ace of the Phillies staff and was destined to be the top free-agent pitcher after this season.
![Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees last week in Clearwater.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 5142 3428"/%3E "Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees last week in Clearwater.")
But Middleton showing he will continue to do what it takes to help the team win convinced Wheeler to stay in Philadelphia. He recently agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal that will be the largest extension in baseball history by annual average ($42 million).
Wheeler understands the pressure that comes with signing such a contract.
“There’s definitely pressure, especially being in Philadelphia,” Wheeler said. “It’s a tough place to play. … You’re going to have your ups and downs. You’ll have your bad games, bad innings. You might get booed here and there. Booed off the field, but it’s part of the game.
“You take that in and use that as motivation and just try to build off of that, because you don’t want that to happen again. There is pressure to live up to the contract. But if you take care of what you need to, hopefully, it will take care of itself on the field.”
Wheeler has taken care of business on the field.
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In 101 starts with the Phillies, he is 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA. It is the fourth-best ERA in the majors over that span (minimum 500 innings), trailing only Corbin Burnes (2.86), Max Scherzer (2.94) and Shane Bieber (2.98). Wheeler’s 19.6 bWAR and 19.3 fWAR over the past four years are the best of any pitcher.
Perhaps most importantly, Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA over the past two postseasons.
For an owner and a front office that is all-in to win, that is huge.
“The reality is, when you start not only talking about being one of the best pitchers, he’s one of the best big-game pitchers in the game of baseball,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “So in the postseason, when he takes that ball, I can’t think of anybody that I would rather have to take the mound than Zack.”
That is why Wheeler likely will be in Clearwater each spring getting ready for the season for the rest of his career. He believed in Middleton’s promise to compete, he’s seen him reinvest with Harper and Turner, and he wants to finish the job.
“I’m (concentrated) on the season and trying to bring a championship back to Philly,” Wheeler said. “I know getting there is hard, but winning it is a whole different story. We all got our feet wet a little bit. Hopefully, we can get back there and finally win.”