The New York Mets tried to trade away injured starting pitcher Zack Wheeler during the season but still ended up with the team as the offseason started. According to a Newsday report, the Mets have changed their plans and are not shopping the 25-year-old right-hander.

"We're not actively shopping Zack by any stretch. But as with the other starters, if something came up that we thought made us better, we're going to talk about it," assistant general manager John Ricco said. It was on July 29 when Wheeler and shortstop Wilmer Flores were almost traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for center fielder Carlos Gomez.

It left Flores crying in-game when he learned about the news, but both stayed with the Mets organization. The shortstop helped the team reach the World Series for the first time in 15 years while Wheeler stayed in the disabled list.

The hard-throwing righty underwent Tommy John surgery last offseason after being diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, per NBC Sports. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Altchek, and Wheeler went on to miss the entire 2015 season with a possibility to pitch again by July 2016.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was not surprised that a team like the Brewers will take a risk by trading for an injured pitcher. The Yankees' general manager noted that the young pitcher has enough upside to make teams want to trade for him and the Mets to hold onto him, per Newsday.

"He's an asset that should intrigue people or interest people, and clearly he does, for good reason. There's not enough talent in the game. So yeah, he's marked up, he's got a scar from Tommy John, but that shouldn't scare you off," Cashman said.

Wheeler has a career record of 18-17 with a 3.50 ERA in 49 starts, per Baseball Reference. His pitch repertoire includes a mid-90s fastball and a nasty curveball that has struck out 271 batters in two seasons.

According to MLB Daily Dish, the Mets have Wheeler under team control until 2020, which could be why teams will make offers for him. He is a reliable starting option and having a very team-friendly contract will attract teams looking to add an arm in the rotation.

The report speculates that Wheeler still has a possibility to be moved during the Winter Meetings, but if not, the Mets rotation will be even better heading into the next season. They will have Wheeler along with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, making it one of the scariest rotations in baseball.