The Philadelphia Phillies signed free-agent pitcher Aaron Nola to a new seven-year contract on Sunday.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the deal is reportedly worth $172 million.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com previously reported contract talks between the Phillies and Nola were “gaining steam” and “heating up”
With the Phillies in the market for a starting pitcher and Nola one of the top options available, a reunion between the sides made plenty of sense.
Nola, 30, has spent his entire nine-year MLB with the Phillies. While he didn’t have a signature year in 2023 (12-9 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 193.2 innings), he was fantastic for most of the postseason, putting together a 3-1 record with a 2.35 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in four starts.
He’s posted five seasons in his career with 180 or more innings and five seasons with 200 or more strikeouts, with a career 3.72 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
The 2018 All-Star is in many ways the polar opposite of another pitcher the Phillies had been linked to this offseason, Blake Snell, who has excellent stuff and has won two Cy Young awards but has only pitched 180 or more innings twice in his career and rarely pitches through the sixth inning.
The move not only returns Nola to the only franchise he’s ever known, it also kept him from a division rival, with Passan reporting that the Atlanta Braves “were a real threat to poach” him.
It’s also another indication that the Phillies are all-in on winning a title after reaching the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS this past season.
The Phillies likely aren’t done making other deals—upgrading the outfield would make sense, and bullpen arms are always a necessity—but locking down a No. 2 option behind Zack Wheeler in the rotation was the priority. Nola’s signing addresses that need and sets the pitching market this offseason.
