"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, Van Wagenen said,
according to David Lennon of Newsday. "So I'm proud of what our group was able to help him accomplish. I'm happy he was rewarded for it."
Van Wagenen, who said he was "surprised" and "disappointed" by Wheeler's comments, disputed the claim from Wheeler that there were "crickets" coming from the Mets' side,
telling SNY's Steve Gelbs that the Mets had contact with Wheeler's agent up until a week before he signed with Philadelphia.
"Zack is a good pitcher," Van Wagenen added,
according to Newsday's Tim Healey. "That's why we wanted to re-sign him. The contract and the market that he enjoyed was beyond what our appetite level was. I said that before. He got paid more than we were willing to give him."