The Philadelphia Phillies signed the first free agent of the offseason.
As it turns out, it wasn’t someone from outside the organization: it was one of their own free agents.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Phillies are retaining their ace Aaron Nola on a mammoth deal.
“Right-hander Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a seven-year, $172 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The deal is pending a physical. But it is done, and Nola, who has spent his whole career in Philadelphia, will remain with the Phillies,” He tweeted.
ESPN reports that Aaron Nola’s contract with the Philadelphia Phillies is worth $172m over seven years. The contract is subject to a physical. Nola will stay with the Phillies, where he has played his entire career.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 19, 2023
The Phillies were up against stiff competition from the Atlanta Braves and other teams, but the right-hander opted to stay at home.
Zack Wheeler may be considered the better pitcher, but Nola was signed as a priority because he is a native of Philadelphia and has been with the team longer (since 2015).
The Phillies entered the offseason knowing that they needed to sign more pitching. They re-signed a well-known commodity with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
Nola’s 2023 ERA was a little disappointing at 4.46 in 193.2 inning, but he still managed to strike out 202 hitters. His record ended up being 12-9.
He will return to the team as the “1B” to Wheeler’s “1A” The Phillies have a good rotation of pitchers, but they still need to add one or two top-notch arms to their staff to help them get over the hurdle.
Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are among the pitchers who could be in for some very expensive deals.
Phillies fans, however, are certainly enjoying their weekend with Sunday’s news.
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Phillies open to trading a star player