"4 kids, awesome wife, I want to spend time with them" - Phillies ace Zack Wheeler reveals retirement timeline

Pitcher Zack Wheeler opened up about his retirement plans for when his current contract with the Philadelphia Phillies ends. Wheeler has had a long Major League Baseball career, making his debut with the New York Mets in 2013.

During his time with the Mets, he faced several challenges, including major injury setbacks that caused him to miss two full seasons. However, the 34-year-old has enjoyed a relatively stronger stint with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing with them following the 2019 season.

In March 2024, Wheeler signed a three-year, $126 million contract extension with the Phillies, keeping him with the team through the 2027 season. After that, he could bid farewell to the majors.

Speaking about his future, Wheeler said (starting at 19:31):

“It's far away, but I'm pretty sure I'm done after this, but you know time will tell and who knows I never want to say never, but more likely I'll probably be done after this. That was kind of the goal.”

With the Phillies, Wheeler has built an impressive career, earning two All-Star selections and winning a Gold Glove Award in 2023. Expanding on his retirement plans, he said:

“I got four kids and my awesome wife, and I want to spend time with them too."

Last year, Zack Wheeler earned a salary of $23.5 million, concluding the five-year, $118 million contract he signed with the team in December 2019.

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Phillies’ Zack Wheeler opens up about his team entering the 2025 season

While speaking with reporters last week, Zack Wheeler shared his and the team’s goals heading into the 2025 season.

“Yeah, I mean, we're a good team. We won a lot of games last year and we felt a little shorter where we wanted to go, but it's baseball. It's a hard game, and hopefully we can win a World Series this year. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I wish we would have won that series and moved on, but we didn't, so that's the end of it,” Wheeler said (via MLB.com).

Last season, Wheeler made 32 starts, posting a 16-7 record with a 2.57 ERA, 224 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP.