White Sox rumors: Team offered more to Zack Wheeler than Phillies

By Vincent Frank

·Updated: December 4, 2019

The Chicago White Sox are certainly looking to make a major splash in free agency. Unfortunately for general manager Rick Hahn, money wasn’t the end all for stud pitcher Zack Wheeler.

Fresh off reports that Wheeler has signed a five-year, $118 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies comes this interesting bit of information from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Chicago actually offered more than the $118 million that Wheeler took to sign with Philadelphia.

#WhiteSox’s offer to Wheeler was for MORE than the $118M he will receive from the #Phillies, sources tell The Athletic. As @MarcCarig said, Wheeler’s wife is from New Jersey, and that proximity was an important consideration in his decision.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2019

As noted, Wheeler’s wife is from New Jersey. The idea of playing close to her home was a factor in his decision.

Already pretty much out of the running for Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole, the Sox will now likely turn to the second-tier market for rotation help.