Ace pitcher Nola returns to Phillies on 7-year deal

Right-hander Aaron Nola and the Phillies agreed to a seven-year contract on Sunday, the team announced, as Philadelphia locked up its longtime rotation stalwart after nearly three weeks of inactivity in the MLB free agent market.

Philadelphia didn’t announce the deal’s value, but sources told ESPN it is worth $172 million.

The 30-year-old Nola has spent all 10 years of his professional career with the Phillies, who took him with the seventh pick in the 2014 draft and promoted him to the major leagues barely a year later.

Over that time, he has been their steadiest performer, particularly over the past six seasons, during which he started the most games in Major League Baseball (175) and threw the second-most innings (1,065⅓, just behind Gerrit Cole‘s 1,076⅔). While the Phillies’ National League East rivals, the Atlanta Braves, had spent the early part of the offseason pursuing Nola and hoping to add him to their rotation, he chose to stay in Philadelphia, a reflection of how he’d come to love the city and its rabid fan base.

The negotiations between Nola’s agents, Garrett Parcell and Joe Longo, and the teams pursuing him ratcheted up going into the weekend. Despite the fact that no free agents had signed since the market opened, Nola didn’t want to dawdle. Philadelphia and Atlanta were the final two suitors, and Nola wound up receiving the biggest contract for a pitcher in Phillies history and the 11th largest overall.

As Nola grew into a pitcher who twice finished in the top five of NL Cy Young voting, the Phillies moved out of a rebuilding phase, added stars around him and followed a World Series appearance in 2022 with an NLCS berth this season.

While Nola’s ERA regressed to 4.46 this year amid a spike in home runs allowed, he still threw 193⅔ innings, struck out 202 and walked 45. His ability to chew innings, strike hitters out and limit walks made him one of the most desirable free agents this winter, a fact reflected in the size of his contract. Nola is now the sixth Phillies player with a nine-figure deal, joining first baseman Bryce Harper, shortstop Trea Turner, right-hander Zack Wheeler, catcher J.T. Realmuto and outfielder Nick Castellanos.

The slow progress of baseball free agency should pick up with Nola’s signing. In a class headlined by two-way star Shohei Ohtani, the majority of the biggest deals should go to pitchers, including Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and postseason standout Jordan Montgomery.

Nola was a vital part of the Phillies’ success over the past two seasons, throwing 48⅔ innings over nine postseason starts and striking out more than five times as many hitters as he walked. Armed with a 92 mph fastball he commands exceptionally and one of the best curveballs in the game, Nola fashioned himself as one of the best control artists in the game, the sort of skill set the Phillies expect will age well.

In his career, Nola is 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA. Over 1,422 innings, he has struck out 1,582, walked 371 and allowed 169 home runs.