Ex-Mets Star Zack Wheeler Says He’s Retiring After 2027 Season: Report

The one who got away from the New York Mets is ready to step away from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Zack Wheeler

Ace Zack Wheeler, among the best pitchers in baseball, is ready to trade fastballs for fatherhood when his $126 million contract expires at the end of the 2027 season, according to a new report from

.

The multi-time All-Star and Cy Young Award finalist indicated that he plans to hang up his cleats two years from now, when he will be 37, to be surrounded by his family, which includes four children.

Once a top Mets prospect after being drafted by the San Francisco Giants, Wheeler spent parts of five underwhelming years with the Mets before heading to their NL East rival, the Phillies in 2020, where he has thrived and evolved into one of the game’s top starters.

In six seasons with the Phillies, Wheeler is 65-34 with a 2.93 ERA, including 6-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 13 starts in 2025.

He stands to make an average of $40 million per year during the rest of his current contract.

Despite that, the 35-year-old Georgia native is ready to step back and focus on being a doting father rather than a feature at the top of the Phillies’ rotation.

The

states that Wheeler is steadfast in his decision to walk away from the game, despite thriving in recent years for the Phillies and leaving behind a potentially lucrative final contract.

“That’s the plan,” he told reporter Matt Gelb. “Doesn’t matter,” Wheeler said. “No.”

“It’ll be easy to walk away.”

The Athletic

report can be found

.