On Sunday, it was revealed that Aaron Nola will be returning to the Philadelphia Phillies on a huge long-term contract.
In the end, the 2022 National League champs will be paying him $172 million over the next seven years, which is an enormous commitment for a pitcher.
Nola’s price was inflated, in part, because there was concrete interest from other contenders.
That drove up the price for the Phillies.
In fact, Nola’s camp flirted with one of the Phillies’ top rivals: the Atlanta Braves.
“The Atlanta Braves were a real threat to poach Aaron Nola. But as negotiations with Nola and his agents, Joe Longo and Garrett Parcell, went on, the Phillies stepped up and gave out their biggest contract for a pitcher and 11th biggest ever. @BNightengale was on top of things,” Passan tweeted.
The Atlanta Braves were a real threat to poach Aaron Nola. But as negotiations with Nola and his agents, Joe Longo and Garrett Parcell, went on, the Phillies stepped up and gave out their biggest contract for a pitcher and 11th biggest ever. @BNightengale was on top of things.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 19, 2023
In the end, Nola left some money on the table – other organizations were offering more – to return to the team he has called home for the last nine seasons.
The right-hander posted a 4.46 ERA in 193.2 innings for Philadelphia in 2023, with 202 strikeouts.
For his career, he has a 3.72 ERA.
He made the All-Star team in 2018 and was part of the All-MLB Second Team in 2022.
With Zack Wheeler and Nola headlining the rotation, the Phillies were on the verge of winning the World Series in 2022 and came close in 2023, too, reaching Game 7 of the Championship Series in the National League.
Addressing their rotation was a necessity, and now that they have Nola, they can focus on bringing in another top target for the staff.
