Colorado Rockies Sign Veteran Catcher Austin Nola to Minor League Deal

Austin Nola, who bounced around between the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals in 2024 after fizzling out with the San Diego Padres in 2023, could compete for an Opening Day roster spot with the Colorado Rockies.

Mar 30, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola (26) throws to first base to force out Colorado Rockies third baseman Elehuris Montero (not pictured) during the third inning at Petco Park. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have signed veteran catcher Austin Nola to a minor league contract, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Sunday.

Nola, who turns 35 years old later this month, earned a non-roster invite to the Rockies' major league Spring Training camp as part of his deal.

The Rockies re-signed catcher Jacob Stallings to a one-year, $2 million contract with a 2026 mutual option in November. They also have top prospect Drew Romo, who made his MLB debut in 2024, as well as 25-year-old Hunter Goodman.

Goodman has spent more time in right field than at catcher, though, plus he boasts a -1.4 WAR through 93 career MLB appearances. Romo, meanwhile, only saw action in 16 big league contests and could very easily open 2025 back in Triple-A.

That leaves a path for Nola to return to the big leagues, even though he hasn't played a game at that level since July 2023.

Austin Nola has agreed to an NRI deal with the Rockies, per source.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 8, 2024

Nola made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, and he stayed hot through the COVID-shortened 2020 season. By the time he got dealt to the San Diego Padres at the 2020 trade deadline, Nola was batting .280 with 15 home runs, 50 RBI, an .827 OPS and a 2.3 WAR through 108 career games.

The Padres had Nola split reps with a handful of other catchers over the next few seasons, even giving him playing time in the postseason in 2020 and 2022. Through his first 185 games in San Diego, Nola put up a 3.1 WAR.

However, Nola hit 146 with a .452 OPS and -0.5 WAR to open 2023, ultimately getting optioned to Triple-A in July. The Padres non-tendered the veteran after the season, sending him into free agency rather than meeting him in salary arbitration.

Nola latched on with the Milwaukee Brewers in January, but he opted out of his minor league deal and signed another with the Kansas City Royals in February. After hitting .200 with a .431 OPS in Spring Training, Nola got sent down to Triple-A to open the 2024 season.

While he did get called up for a week in June, Nola did not log a single at-bat or an inning in the field for Kansas City. He was designated for assignment in August and outrighted back to the minors a few days later.

Nola hit .174 with a .558 OPS in Triple-A this season, recording five home runs and 24 RBI in 55 games. In his Triple-A career, though, Nola is a .262 hitter with a .712 OPS, so he should still be able to provide organizational depth if the Rockies don't elevate him to their active roster.

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