Philadelphia Phillies Massive Contract With Aaron Nola Receives Strong Re-Grade

How does the Philadelphia Phillies contract with Aaron Nola look after one season?

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

One of the biggest strengths for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the 2024 season was their pitching staff.

Specifically, their starting rotation.

Atop that staff was Zach Wheeler, who is going to receive some Cy Young Award consideration. Behind him, the depth was excellent with Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez both having breakout campaigns and being named All-Stars.

Providing reliability as the staff anchor was Aaron Nola. The longest-tenured Phillies player flirted with leaving the only franchise he knew when he was a free agency following the 2023 season.

But, he ended up returning to Philadelphia, agreeing to a massive seven-year, $172 million deal. It was seen as a win around the league, as Nola is a workhorse and perfect complement to Wheeler atop the rotation.

“Aaron Nola has always been sort of a No. 1.5 starting pitcher—you might be in some trouble if he's your singular ace, but you're in wonderful shape if he's your No. 2 starter.

"And by re-signing him while also extending Zack Wheeler through 2027, the Phillies did well to keep that status quo for another few years,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report in a piece re-grading the biggest free agent signings from last offseason.

There is always some risk in signing a player who will be turning 31 years old in Year 1 of a long-term deal, but Nola performed at a high level and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

In his re-grade of the move, Miller gave the deal an A-, which was warranted. Availability is the best ability and once again he got the job done in that regard.

He made 33 starts, which was tops in the Major Leagues and pitched 199.1 innings, the third straight year he was in the top 10. It was the sixth straight full season he made at least 32 starts as he is as reliable as any starting pitcher in baseball.

“Nola did end up with his lowest strikeout rate since his rookie season, which could be viewed as problematic in year No. 1 of a seven-season pact. However, he saved his best for last, striking out 30.8 percent of batters faced in September compared to 22.6 percent through the first five months.

He also whiffed 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) Mets he faced in Game 3 of the NLDS, but got no run support and fell apart in a hurry in the sixth inning,” Miller added.

Down the road, this is a deal that Philadelphia could eventually regret. But for now, Nola remains a valuable part of the team.