Zack Wheeler is trying to focus on the present.
The 29-year-old starter is in the final year of his contract and the Mets could reportedly consider moving him if they fall further out of playoff contention. Wheeler addressed the trade rumors when he met with reporters Monday.
"It's something that you don't want to think about, but I guess it's in the back of your head," Wheeler said. "But I'm here now and I want to help this team win. I know we're capable of it and we've got a good squad.”
"It's something that you don't want to think about, but I guess it's in the back of your head" - Zack Wheeler on potentially getting traded if the Mets sell pic.twitter.com/eTKKVuf052
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 18, 2019
Wheeler holds a 5-5 record with a 4.94 ERA in 15 starts so far this season. He has struck out 103 and walked 28 in 94 2/3 innings on the mound.
The Mets entered play Tuesday in third place of the National League East with a 34-38 record. They trailed the division-leading Braves by 8 1/2 games and were 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the second wild-card spot.
“We need to turn things around very quick and I think we're very capable of that,” Wheeler said. “It starts with the pitching. Just got to bear down, keep runs off the board and have quick innings."
New York, however, won’t necessarily be sellers at the trade deadline, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said last weekend.
"I don't think my mindset or the mission statement for this franchise has changed," Van Wagenen said, via SNY. "It's been our goal to win now and our goal is to win in the future. So, moves that we make will have an eye towards that. My hope and my belief is that we can be in contention over the course of the next several weeks and can continue to push that gas pedal down.”
The Yankees have been linked to a potential move for Wheeler while there could be “four to five” teams interested in him, a major league talent evaluator told the New York Post.
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