Why the Mets should NOT trade Zack Wheeler

We are just a few short hours away until the MLB Trade Deadline is over. Many teams are looking to add assets to compete this year, while others are giving away talent to build towards the future. The Mets? Well, they are in the middle. While they did trade Asdrubal Cabrera to the rival Phillies and Jeurys Familia to the A’s, all is quiet in Flushing at the moment.

There have been rumors that the Mets could sell off one of their bats like Jose Bautista or Devin Mesoraco. One other name that has been brought up is Zack Wheeler. However, the Mets are unlikely to trade him. While some question it, the decision may be the right thing for the organization.

Once a prized piece picked up by the Giants for Carlos Beltran, Wheeler has not shown New York what he could really do. Injuries and inconsistent outings have affected his short career. Overall he has a 26-29 record with a 3.95 ERA, not quite as sexy as Mets fans imagined. This season, he is 5-6 with a 4.11 ERA and 116 strikeouts. While those numbers don’t quite stand out, it is what he has recently done that has people talking.

In his last five starts, Wheeler is 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA. He has struck out 30 batters while only walking ten. After starting the season with only two wins and an abysmal May and June (the offense of the Mets didn’t help either), Wheeler may have finally found his groove. His run may have increased his trade value, but it also increased the teams desire to keep Wheeler.

There are only a few teams who could use a player like Wheeler in their rotation. Seattle may have seen the last of Felix Hernandez’s glory days, and may look for an insurance policy in case he can’t go anymore. The Yankees were in the mix until they signed Lance Lynn. There are teams, like the Twins and Rangers, who could rebuild struggling rotations by dropping young talent. Are the Mets willing to move in any direction if it means getting rid of Zack Wheeler though?

With control of Wheeler until 2020, the Mets may not want to take the risk. Recent deals have shown however that teams will eat the contracts of traded players, even though Assistant GM John Ricco stated that wouldn’t be the case. He also said the Mets were looking to compete next year, and Wheeler may end up being a major player in their plans.

Add in the fact that the Mets already shipped Matt Harvey to the Reds, keeping Wheeler might make more sense to them. They are not going to put Jason Vargas out there to replace him, and their pitchers in the minors aren’t ready yet. The team appears to be stuck, which is fine with them.

Zack Wheeler may end up being the future for the team, or his last few starts could have just been smoke and mirrors. The Mets like what they see though, enough so that a trade right now doesn’t make sense.

Will the Mets trade Zack Wheeler? Should they?