Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is already thinking about retirement.
Good news for Phillies fans: the two-time Cy Young Award finalist has no plans of calling it quits after the 2025 campaign.
However, don’t expect the 34-year-old Wheeler to pitch in his 40s. Wheeler outlined his ideal retirement timeline during a recent appearance on The Phillies Show.
Wheeler said he’ll realistically ride off into the sunset after his contract expires in 2027.
“I’m pretty sure I’m done after this,” Wheeler declared.

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But?
“[B]ut you know time will tell, and who knows, I never want to say never,” Wheeler continued, “but more likely, I’ll probably be done after this. That was kind of the goal.”
Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million extension in March 2024. He validated the Phillies’ decision with career-highs in wins (16) and ERA (2.57) for the NL East champions.
Wheeler has quietly been among the sport’s most valuable pitchers since joining Philadelphia in 2020. According to Baseball-Reference, Wheeler tallied 25.4 WAR in that span, and it’d likely be higher if not for the 60-game 2020 season.
Wheeler owns a 4-3 record and 2.18 ERA across 12 postseason games in Philadelphia. He’s established himself as a reliable playoff arm, posting a fantastic 77-14 K-BB ratio in 70.1 playoff innings.
Wheeler and the Phillies enter the new year with lofty expectations. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Phillies and New York Mets have the fourth-highest odds to win the World Series at +1100.
Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (+240), New York Yankees (+700), and Atlanta Braves (+900) have better odds.
Luckily for the Phillies, they have Wheeler on their side—at least, for the foreseeable future.