The Phillies and right-hander Aaron Nola agreed to a seven-year contract on Sunday, according to the team, as Philadelphia secured their long-term rotation stalwart after nearly three weeks of inaction in the MLB free agent market.The value of the transaction was not disclosed by the team, although sources tell ESPN that it is worth $172 million.Nola, 30, has spent his entire professional career with the Phillies, who drafted him eighth overall in 2014 and elevated him to the major leagues just a year later.
He has been their most consistent performer over that period, particularly over the last six seasons, during which he started the most games in Major League Baseball (175) and threw the second-most innings (1,06513, trailing Gerrit Cole’s 1,07623). While the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies’ National League East rivals, spent the early part of the winter following Nola and hoping to add him to their rotation, he elected to stay in Philadelphia, reflecting how much he’d grown to love the city and its strong fan base.Negotiations between Nola’s agents, Garrett Parcell and Joe Longo, and the teams following him heated up as the weekend approached. Nola didn’t want to waste time, despite the fact that no free agents had signed since the market opened. The remaining two bidders were Philadelphia and Atlanta, and Nola received the richest contract for a pitcher in Phillies history, as well as the 11th largest overall.
As Nola developed into a pitcher who finished twice in the top five of the NL Cy Young voting, the Phillies emerged from a rebuilding phase, surrounded him with players, and followed up a World Series appearance in 2022 with an NLCS spot this season.Despite a 4.46 ERA this year due to an increase in home runs allowed, Nola still tossed 19323 innings, struck out 202, and walked 45. His ability to eat innings, strike out batters, and minimize walks made him one of the most sought-after free agents this winter, as evidenced by the size of his contract. Nola joins first baseman Bryce Harper, shortstop Trea Turner, right-hander Zack Wheeler, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and outfielder Nick Castellanos as the sixth Phillies player to sign a nine-figure contract.
With Nola’s signing, the plodding pace of baseball free agency should pick up. The majority of the biggest agreements should go to pitchers, including Japanese great Yoshinobu Yamamoto, NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, and postseason standout Jordan Montgomery, in a class led by two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.Nola was a key contributor to the Phillies’ success over the last two seasons, pitching 482/3 innings in nine postseason starts and striking out more than five times as many batters as he walked. Nola fashioned himself as one of the top control artists in the game, armed with a 92 mph fastball that he commands very well and one of the best curveballs in the game, and the Phillies expect him to age nicely.Nola has a career record of 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA. He has struck out 1,582 batters, walked 371, and surrendered 169 home runs in 1,422 innings pitched.
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