The Mets will at least be giving Zack Wheeler something to think about, if only briefly.
Ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline, the Mets will extend Wheeler the qualifying offer, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said, even as the right-hander is expected to decline and hit the open market.
The qualifying offer for 2020 is $17.8 million, but Wheeler will be one of the more attractive free-agent starting pitchers, putting him in line for a much bigger deal. The 29-year-old righty is coming off a season in which he made 31 starts and posted a 3.96 ERA for the Mets, striking out 195 and walking 50 in 195 1/3 innings.