Aaron Nola Signs Huge Free Agent Deal

After nine seasons as the ace and workhorse of the Philadelphia Phillies, posting a 90-71 record with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, with no less than 32 starts a season in any full year since 2018, Aaron Nola has decided that it just wouldn't feel right to pitch anywhere else. He's agreed to a 7-year free agent deal to stay in Philly.

Aaron Nola and the Phillies have agreed to a tentative deal to keep Nola in Philly pic.twitter.com/Ag6O1pf5bY
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 19, 2023

The contract is worth $172M. It's the biggest one ever handed out by the Phillies for a pitcher and the 11th largest deal overall for the franchise.

According to Insider Jeff Passan, the Atlanta Braves presented "a real threat to poach Aaron Nola". But the Phillies stepped up and showed their rotation horse just how much he meant to the organization.

At about $24.5M per season, one could say it's a bit of a hometown discount, as Nola could very well have gotten more on the open market, but there was just too much history to overcome a few measly million for the franchise's homegrown pitching star. Nola, now 30, was selected in the first round in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Phillies, as the No. 7 overall pick.

Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK