Miami Marlins division rivals made a major mistake

In order for the Miami Marlins to make the playoffs this upcoming season and in the future, the division rivals have to be a bit worse as well. There is some potential for that already. As much as I'll always appreciate Dave Dombrowski for his work with the 1997 Florida Marlins. The recent news on his moves with the Philadelphia Phillies are highly questionable. Can Peter Bendix take advantage?

Miami Marlins division rivals potentially made a major mistake with their extension.

Zack Wheeler just received a 3 year extension for $126 million from the Philadelphia Phillies. Wow. The $42 million annual average value is the FOURTH HIGHEST of all time on a contract. The three players ahead of him? Texas Rangers SP Max Scherzer, Houston Astros SP Justin Verlander and Los Angeles Dodgers SP/DH Shohei Ohtani. I'm not so sure that Wheeler deserves to be in this tier.

Wheeler spent his entire career in the NL East, pitching for Miami Marlins' division rivals. He was pretty mediocre with the New York Mets from 2013 to 2019. During that time period, he produced a 3.77 ERA/3.71 FIP, with 8.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9, in 126 games and 749.1 innings pitched. That was solid production, but more of a mid-rotation starter. Ever since signing with Philly prior to the 2020 season, he produced an elite 3.06 ERA/.90 FIP, with 9.7 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9, in 101 games and 629.1 innings pitched.

It might seem as if Zack Wheeler is a legitimate ace, but he had a 3.61 ERA in 2023. His fastball velocity has actually declined for three straight seasons, and FG projects him for a 3.51-3.61 ERA in 2024. That's pretty alarming and doesn't project the already 33-year old as an ace going forward. This also pushes Philly well over the luxury tax line once again.

I don't see Zack Wheeler being worth his new contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. This means that Philly will likely be handicapped financially, which in turn helps the Miami Marlins. Anytime that a major division rival has financial concerns or bad contracts, it helps The Fish.