Juicy contract for Aaron Nola with the Phillies: $172 million for seven seasons

Aaron Nola will continue with the Philadelphia Phillies after agreeing to a seven-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement.

The source spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the deal still depends on a required medical examination. ESPN and other media reported that the contract amount for the right-handed pitcher reaches $172 million.

He is the first starter to sign from this year’s class of free agents, a group that also includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery and Venezuelan left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Nola, 30, was taken in the first round of the draft by the Phillies in 2024. He debuted with Philadelphia the following year and has been a part of the team his entire career.

He has been one of the top-performing pitchers — something highly coveted in today’s baseball due to the more extensive use of bullpens. He also has a wealth of postseason experience.

Nola has made at least 32 starts and pitched at least 180.2 innings in five of the last six years. The exception was the 2020 season, shortened by the pandemic.

He went 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA in 32 starts with Philadelphia this year. He racked up 202 strikeouts in 193.2 innings. His ERA was 4.63 in 2021 and 4.78 ERA in 2016, his only other years with similar numbers. His career earned run percentage is 3.72.

Nola was key to Philadelphia’s 2023 NL Wild Card berth and then went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff outings.. The Phillies fell to Arizona in the National League Championship Series.

He also totaled five postseason starts as Philadelphia reached the 2022 World Series before losing to Houston. His record was 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA.

His best season came in 2018 when he went 17-6 with a career-low 2.37 ERA in 33 starts and a career-high 212.1 innings.