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Ken Rosenthal has a tidbit for you: the Angels have shown “real interest” in Zach Wheeler.
Still alive for Wheeler, per sources: #Phillies, #Reds, #WhiteSox. Possible other teams remain in mix; #Angels also have shown real interest. Phillies’ push first reported by @Buster_ESPN.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2019
For what it’s worth, similar things were said last winter when the Angels did not land either of Patrick Corbin (who signed to a 6-year, $140 million deal with the Nationals), or Yasmani Grandal (who signed to a 1-year, $18.25 million deal with the Brewers). The club proceeded to allocate $28 million in guaranteed dollars to Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, and Cody Allen.
While Wheeler does not possess the pedigree of other free agent starters on the market, he has been quite good of late (4+ fWAR and 29+ starts in each of the last two seasons). The 6’4” lefty righty averaged 97 mph on his heater in 2019 and has logged just 749 innings in the majors, with 464 of those coming after his Tommy John surgery in March 2015.
Better pitch location in two strikes can likely take Wheeler from very good to great. With a relatively fresh arm, a major-league club could very well be getting an ace.