Phillies' Middleton: I Wouldn't Trade Zack Wheeler for Babe Ruth Amid Rumors

Amid rumors that the Philadelphia Phillies were listening to trade offers for righthanded pitcher Zack Wheeler, the team's managing partner and owner John Middleton said there's no truth to the reports—and no player who would be worth a deal.

"If they offered me Babe Ruth, I wouldn't trade him," Middleton told ESPN's Buster Olney on Sunday, also mentioning MLB legends Ted Williams and Mike Schmidt. 

Olney reported Sunday that the Phillies told other teams they would listen to offers for their second most-expensive player as the franchise is "facing tough financial decisions." 

Middleton said he "authorized no one" to talk about trading the 30-year-old, and anyone who did so is "lying."

Wheeler has four years remaining on a five-year, $118 million contract that he signed last December, while the Phillies also have the massive 13-year, $330 million deal they signed with Bryce Harper on their books. 

Per Olney, Middleton said the franchise is set to lose more than $100 million due to the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. After missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, the team parted ways with general manager Matt Klentak and fired 80 front-office employees.

In the shortened 2020 season, Wheeler's first with a team other than the New York Mets, he made 11 starts and posted a 2.92 ERA alongside Aaron Nola at the forefront of the rotation. A departure of Wheeler would provide another problem for the struggling Phillies pitching staff, which boasts a bullpen that posted a 7.06 ERA—the worst since the league expanded in 1961 (h/t Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

But per Olney's report, it seems as though Wheeler will be here to stay in 2021 to help Philadelphia in its quest for its first winning record since 2011.