President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed Monday that Wheeler and the Phillies have been in negotiations on a long-term contract extension, Chris Nelsen of the Associated Press reports. "Zack would not mislead you. Of course, we've talked," Dombrowski said, after Wheeler relayed last Wednesday that he had been in touch with the Phillies on a new deal. "It is a priority. We would love to get that deal done."

EDGE Analysis

Wheeler is heading into the final season of the five-year, $118 million deal he signed with the Phillies in December 2019. Though he's been an All-Star for only one of the first four seasons of his deal, Wheeler has provided an excellent return on the Phillies' investment, going 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 21.3 K-BB% across 101 starts. He's set to turn 34 years old in May, but Wheeler has shown no signs of decline and has arguably supplanted Aaron Nola -- who inked a seven-year, $172 million deal with the team in November -- as the staff ace. Wheeler said he prefers to have an agreement on an extension in place prior to Opening Day, and both sides should have plenty of incentive to hammer out a deal before spring training comes to a close.

Wheeler will be available out of the bullpen for Game 7 of the NLCS against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

EDGE Analysis

It'll be all hands on deck for the Phillies in Game 7, and Wheeler will be ready in relief if skipper Rob Thomson calls his name. Wheeler fired 99 pitches in Saturday's Game 5, but as Healey notes, Tuesday would be his between-starts bullpen day, so he'll likely be available for an inning.

Wheeler allowed one run on five hits across 6.2 innings to secure the win in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Marlins in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He struck out eight.

EDGE Analysis

Wheeler was dominant in this outing as he made quick work of the Marlins lineup, racking up eighteen whiffs in the process. His sole mistake was allowing an RBI single to Bryan de la Cruz in the seventh inning that was set up by a defensive miscue as Wheeler forgot to cover first base. The right-hander thrives under pressure as he now has a mint 2.55 ERA and 0.73 WHIP with 41 strikeouts across 42.1 career postseason innings.

Wheeler is starting Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Marlins on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Wheeler had a 3.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 41 innings over his final seven starts of the season. He will pitch opposite Jesus Luzardo.

Wheeler allowed one run on four hits and one walk across four innings in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates. He struck out five.

EDGE Analysis

Wheeler only threw 67 pitches in this contest as he likely earned time to recover in advance of the playoffs. Nonetheless, he made the most of his shorter outing by racking up thirteen whiffs. The right-hander has put together another fine season, pitching to a 3.61 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 192 innings with a milestone 212 strikeouts.

Wheeler (13-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-5 victory over the Mets, giving up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander fired an efficient 99 pitches and generated 30 called or swinging strikes, but Wheeler faded late and nearly squandered the Phillies' lead by allowing three runs in the seventh inning. He held on for his fourth straight winning decision, and over that six-outing stretch he's posted a 3.41 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42:8 K:BB through 37 innings while delivering five quality starts. Wheeler lines up to take the mound once more in the regular season -- a rematch with the Mets in New York next weekend -- but with the Phillies all but locked into the top wild-card spot in the NL, he could make an early exit to get a bit of extra rest ahead of the postseason.

Wheeler (12-6) yielded one run on three hits and two walks over six innings Monday, striking out five and earning a win over Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

After allowing a solo homer to Ozzie Albies in the first inning, Wheeler retired 10 straight batters and cruised to a quality start. Wheeler is 3-0 with a 3.30 ERA over his last five starts and has 11 quality starts in his last 13 trips to the mound. He dropped his season ERA to 3.63 with a 201:37 K:BB through 30 appearances. His next outing is currently projected to be at home against the Mets this weekend.

Wheeler did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings in a 7-6 loss to Atlanta. He struck out four.

EDGE Analysis

Even the 33-year-old ace wasn't impervious to Atlanta's vaunted offense, yielding home runs of the solo, two-run and three-run varieties. It was the first time this season that Wheeler has allowed more than two homers in a start. He had been on a roll in his previous three starts, giving up just four earned runs across 19 innings with an awe-inspiring 27:2 K:BB during that stretch. However, Tuesday's poor performance inflated the righty's season-long ERA to 3.70, the highest in his four years in Philadelphia. Wheeler currently lines up for a road rematch with Atlanta early next week.

Wheeler (11-6) earned the win Wednesday, allowing just one hit and two walks over six scoreless innings against the Padres. He struck out seven.

EDGE Analysis

A Manny Machado single in the fourth inning was the lone hit against Wheeler on Monday, who's now gone six or more innings in 11 consecutive starts. The 33-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.49 through 28 starts (170 innings) this season with a 1.05 WHIP and 192 strikeouts, sixth-most in the league. Wheeler will look to keep rolling in his next start, currently scheduled for next week against Atlanta.

Wheeler (10-6) earned the win over St. Louis on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters over seven innings.

EDGE Analysis

Wheeler served up Luken Baker's first MLB homer in the third frame, but that was the only run the Cardinals managed against him. The veteran hurler finished with his fourth double-digit strikeout effort of the campaign and completed exactly seven innings for his third straight start. Wheeler has been invaluable to the Phillies for his ability to go deep into contests of late -- he hasn't completed fewer than six frames in any of his nine starts since July 1. Among NL hurlers, he's tied for seventh with 158 innings pitched and ranks sixth with 175 strikeouts on the campaign.