Whichever team signs Zack Wheeler in free agency will be tasked with turning him into something more than just a league-average pitcher, lest a lucrative multiyear contract go to waste.
That sounds like a job for the Houston Astros.
As they seek to recover from a heartbreaking loss in the World Series, their top priority in free agency is ostensibly to re-sign American League Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole. The 29-year-old right-hander is coming off spectacular efforts in the regular season (2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts) and postseason (1.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts).