The Philadelphia Phillies have some of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. While Jesus Luzardo might not be a Cy Young candidate right now, both Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler are legitimate candidates for the award.
Wheeler’s return to superstardom this year has been truly spectacular. After thoracic outlet syndrome led to surgery last season, there were real fears about how Wheeler would pitch this season, if at all. But Wheeler has been great, posting a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts.
Things are going so well for Wheeler that, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Wheeler might be putting his retirement plans on hold. Originally, he planned to retire after 2027, but now, Wheeler is saying, “Never say never” about another season.
Zack Wheeler is open to another MLB season after 2027
“But remember those original plans of returning to health this year, pitching one final season in 2027, and then sailing off into the sunset with his family, calling it a career? Well, ever so quietly, those plans are on hold,” Nightengale writes.
Wheeler told USA Today: “Never say never. We’ll see. It’ll probably depend on what happens next year. It’s something to think about for sure.”
While there is no guarantee that Wheeler will not retire after the 2027 season, this update at least opens the door to such a possibility for the Cy Young-caliber ace.
But, the really interesting note from Nightengale is that, “Phillies executives privately believe that Wheeler will ultimately change his mind, and instead of retiring when his contract expires after the 2027 season, that he’ll want to continue pitching, taking him on a potential road to Cooperstown.”
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Wheeler is signed through the 2027 season on a three-year, $126 million contract. It’s been well worth it for the Phillies, and they’d surely offer him a new deal if he wanted to continue his MLB career.
Based on how great he’s pitching this season, with a 2.16 ERA in 16 starts with a 10-2 record, 5.1 bWAR, and 117 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched with a 209 ERA+, Wheeler clearly still has high-level pitching in him.
He’s making a legitimate case to be a Hall of Famer, and if he could win a Cy Young award, help the Phillies win a World Series, or play another season or two after 2027 and rack up more impressive feats, he could be en route to Cooperstown.
The beloved Phillies ace has a real chance to stick around beyond 2027, unlike his original retirement plan according to this update from Nightengale and Wheeler.
This is some incredible news for the Phillies and their ace, as Wheeler extending his career in Philadelphia beyond 2027 would extend their World Series window and help his case to make the Hall of Fame.