Aaron Nola returns to Phillies on 7-year deal, AP source says

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola has agreed to a seven-year deal to return to the Philadelphia Phillies, as per a source familiar with the contract.

The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the pending physical, stated that the right-hander’s contract is valued at $172 million, according to ESPN and other reports.

Nola is the first prominent starting pitcher to sign this year among free agents, which includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

The 30-year-old Nola was a first-round draft pick for the Phillies in 2014, made his debut with the team the following year, and has remained there throughout his career. He has established himself as one of baseball’s most durable pitchers, which is particularly valuable in today’s bullpen-focused game. Nola also has playoff experience.

For five of the last six years, Nola has made at least 32 starts and pitched for at least 180 2/3 innings, with the exception being the shortened 2020 season due to the pandemic.

In the 2021 season, Nola posted a 12-9 record with a 4.46 ERA in 32 starts for Philadelphia, recording 202 strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings. His ERA was 4.63 in 2021, and 4.78 in 2016, with a career mark of 3.72.

Nola played a key role in helping the Philadelphia Phillies secure an NL wild card in 2023 and performed well in the playoffs, going 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four starts before the Phillies were eliminated by Arizona in the NL Championship Series.

In 2022, Nola made five postseason starts as the Phillies made it to the World Series before losing to Houston. The Louisiana native finished with a 2-2 record and a 4.91 ERA.

Standing at 6-foot-2, Nola played college baseball at LSU before being chosen by Philadelphia with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2015, with a record of 6-2 and a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts for the Phillies.

Nola boasts a career record of 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA in 235 starts over nine seasons, all with Philadelphia. He has recorded 1,582 strikeouts in 1,422 innings.

The standout year for Nola was in 2018, where he went 17-6 with a career-low 2.37 ERA in 33 starts and a career-high 212 1/3 innings.