Zack Wheeler's take on Juan Soto gives Mets a taste of what they're missing

Friday night's game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies not only featured the two best teams in the National League East, but it also featured one of the best pitchers in the world, Zack Wheeler, facing off against one of the best hitters in the world, Juan Soto. Wheeler walked Soto twice, but also struck him out in a big spot in the fifth inning of what turned out to be a blowout win for the Phillies. Wheeler's postgame comments raving about his battles with Soto will only raise the question, "What if?"

Again, Wheeler is one of the best pitchers in the game. Soto is one of the best hitters in the game. Anytime elite talents like this face each other, it's a treat to watch. Wheeler's at-bats against Soto are must-see TV.

Wheeler praising Soto like this has to make Mets fans wonder what life might've been like if the two superstars were teammates in orange and blue.

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Mets continue to get reminded of colossal Zack Wheeler mistake

At this point, Wheeler is long gone from the Mets. He hasn't thrown a pitch in a Mets uniform since 2019 and has even signed an extension to remain with the Phillies. It still hurts to see him thrive in a Phillies uniform like this.

Wheeler showed great promise during his Mets tenure, but had trouble staying healthy and had trouble putting two strong halves together in the same season. In fact, when Wheeler left for Philadelphia, the Mets GM at the time, Brodie Van Wagenen, went as far as to say “Our health and performance department, our coaches all contributed and helped him parlay two good half-seasons over the last five years into $118 million.”

Zack Wheeler keeps making the Mets pay

Well, ever since he signed with the Phillies, an argument can be made that he's been the best pitcher in baseball. In fact, he leads the majors in both innings pitched and fWAR since signing with the Phillies. He's off to another stellar start to this season and he threw five scoreless innings against Soto and his former team on Friday.

Can you imagine this Mets team with Wheeler, though? The Mets, even with their recent slump in mind, lead the majors in rotation ERA, and that's without them rostering a pitcher of Wheeler's caliber. Having him on this team with Soto might make the Mets the presumptive favorites to win the World Series, even over the Dodgers. Had Steve Cohen owned the team back in the 2019 offseason, that might've been possible.

Now, all Mets fans can do is watch Wheeler dominate start after start for arguably their biggest rivals. Oh well, at least they have Soto, and at least Wheeler's career clock is ticking. That's about all Mets fans have to look forward to in regard to Wheeler at this point.