Phillies’ Mega Extension with Nola Starts Free Agency
The Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent starter Aaron Nola reached an agreement on a seven-year, $172 million contract extension, the team announced Sunday afternoon. The deal includes no opt-outs, keeping Nola in Philadelphia for the entirety of the contract. The team is expected to have a press conference on Monday.
(Photo above from 2023 NLDS Game 3)
Nola, 30, has spent his entire ten-year career in Philadelphia, after being the seventh overall pick in 2014. He has been vital to the team’s success in the past two seasons, specifically when the calendar hits October. In their last two Postseason runs, Nola is a combined 9–5 with a 3.70 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts across nine total starts. While he struggled in this year’s regular season with a 4.46 ERA across 32 starts, he’s become a staple of the Phillies’ rotation and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
Aaron Nola became the latest recipient of a $100 million or more deal from the Phillies and team President Dave Dombrowski. Since his arrival in December 2020, Dombrowski has signed catcher J.T. Realmuto, outfielder Nick Castellanos, and shortstop Trea Turner to deals in that price range, with Aaron Nola joining the group Sunday afternoon.
The only other team in on Nola in the end was the Phillies’ division rival, the Atlanta Braves. While the amount wasn’t confirmed, it was reported that Atlanta had offered Nola more money to join the Braves. In the end, Nola decided to stay with the team he’s been able to call home his entire career.
Nola’s mega deal was the first for a starting pitcher this offseason, but it won’t be the last. There are plenty of starting pitchers still expected to get long-term deals, including Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, American League Cy Young finalist Sonny Gray, and World Series champion Jordan Montgomery.
What are your thoughts on the contract extension? Do you think it’s an overpay, underpay, or just right? Stay tuned as I post more blogs and recap the mega deals throughout free agency!
Here’s a link to an article that inspired me to write this blog: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38935421/sources-phillies-aaron-nola-agree-7-year-172m-deal
Stats source: https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/aaron-nola-career-postseason-stats
