If the Phillies don't re-sign Zack Wheeler, these 5 players could replace him

2. Corbin Burnes

The Baltimore Orioles gave up two excellent prospects to land Corbin Burnes on an expiring contract. It's difficult to imagine the Orioles making that investment without the motivation to re-sign Burnes when the time comes. That said, it doesn't necessarily matter what the Orioles want. It matters what Burnes wants.

On the mound, few can touch Burnes. He finished last season eighth in Cy Young voting (he won the award back in 2021). The 29-year-old went 10-8 in 32 starts for the NL Central champs in Milwaukee, posting a 3.39 ERA and a league-best 1.069 WHIP. It's hard to imagine the Phillies landing a pitcher with a higher individual ceiling.

Therein lies the conundrum for Baltimore and for Burnes. He is joining a very good Orioles team, and new ownership should mean that Baltimore is comfortable expanding its payroll. Unfortunately, we haven't really seen the Orioles operate as spenders... ever? Certainly not with the last ownership group. There is no real track record of Baltimore paying Burnes what he will demand on the open market. The Phillies have deeper pockets and quite the collection of star power to get Burnes thinking about alternatives.

In addition to healthy strikeout numbers (200 in 193.2 innings pitched), Burnes is a master of soft contact. He would pair nicely with Nola in the Phillies bullpen. We know for certain that Philadelphia is comfortable digging deep to land star talent. Burnes would, frankly, be an upgrade over Wheeler. He's also four years younger. If his tenure in Baltimore isn't pitch-perfect, the Phillies need to be circling like vultures.