Aaron Nola, Phillies in talks over long-term extension: I love it here

Publish date: 2023-11-24

CLEARWATER, Fla. — After Aaron Nola got married in Adairsville, Ga., on New Year’s Eve, he returned to Florida with his wife. Aaron and Hunter are simple people — they traveled the country last winter in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van that Nola hand-customized into a home for them — and they decided the honeymoon should be in the Florida Keys.

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Nola remembered something Sheree McMullen, the Phillies’ masseuse, had told him. “If you go to the Keys,” she said, “you have to rent a convertible.” The mere idea is too flashy for a guy like Nola. But this was the trip to do it.

So, the newlyweds rented a white convertible. They relaxed near Big Pine Key. “It was my first time driving a convertible,” he said. “It was fun, man. It was awesome. The weather was immaculate.” He threw two bullpens before Feb. 1 — one fewer than usual — and arrived at the Phillies complex this spring as one of the more intriguing people to watch in camp.

Nola may not be flashy, but he’s been dependable at an elite level. He will be a free agent after the 2023 season. The Phillies have amassed the highest payroll in franchise history and continue to add to it — they announced on Friday a three-year extension for José Alvarado one day after Seranthony Domínguez received a two-year deal.

It’s natural to wonder where Nola, a homegrown top-of-the-rotation pitcher who turns 30 in June, fits. The Phillies have been thinking about it. They have engaged Nola’s camp in negotiations on a potential long-term extension, according to multiple major-league sources. They have exchanged offers. Team officials declined to comment on the progress of the talks, as did Nola’s agent, Joe Longo of Paragon Sports.

But there appears to be momentum to reach an agreement sometime this spring. Nola on Friday reiterated his desire to remain with the Phillies.

“My reps are handling it,” Nola said. “I don’t really know, honestly. I love it here. I think everybody loves it here. Everybody that comes to this team. I talked to Craig Kimbrel the other day when he came in and he was like, ‘I could see how much fun it is just from afar.’ It’s a fun clubhouse. It’s a fun group of guys.”

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The Phillies cannot expect Nola to take a significant discount to sign now and forgo teams bidding on him in free agency next offseason. There is a price. And there is a deadline, too. Nola said he would not continue to negotiate when the regular season begins March 30, with Nola likely on the mound for his sixth consecutive Opening Day start.

“I want to focus on the season,” Nola said. “Definitely. We’d have to reopen it after the season, for sure. But during the season, I want to stay focused on that. Playing good ball. Trying to win a championship.”

There are recent examples the Phillies could use as comparisons for a Nola extension. Carlos Rodón, as a free agent, signed with the Yankees for six years and $162 million. Joe Musgrove signed a five-year, $100 million deal with the Padres before he reached free agency. Luis Castillo signed with the Mariners for five years and $108 million, and that contract covered one arbitration season.

Nola, arguably, has a more robust track record than those pitchers. He will earn $16 million this season — the final year of a five-year, $56.75 million deal. He has made more starts and pitched more innings than anyone in the sport since the beginning of the 2018 season. He finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting last season and saved his best performances for September and October.

Inside the clubhouse, Nola is considered the standard for accountability. He takes pride in being dependable.

“I’ve always put value on it,” Nola said. “I might not have the best ERA in the league. I don’t throw the hardest in the league, like a lot of these starters do nowadays. But I always go into every year to be healthy and don’t miss a start. Throw as many innings as possible. I want to be reliable. I want to be a guy who takes the ball every fifth or sixth day. Ever since I got hurt in 2017, that’s what I honed in on.”

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The challenge for the Phillies is determining how he’ll age with that larger workload. The club is excited about its young rotation prospects and has Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suárez, but top-of-the-rotation starters are expensive. They know Nola better than anyone. There is value in that comfort — for both sides.

Nola had less downtime this offseason because the Phillies played into November. He’s received input from the team on how to manage his work in the winter. But he is more confident in his own judgments on when to push his body and when not to push. He applied those principles before coming to camp this spring.

“I actually kind of got away from it for a few years,” Nola said. “(Former Phillies pitching coach) Bob McClure actually taught me: ‘You have to be able to throw slow before you throw fast.’ Golly, that was in 2015, when I came up. And it’s true. If you can start off throwing slow and spotting the ball up slow, it’s easier to step on the gas. That’s what I’m trying to get back to.”

The Phillies trust Nola and he trusts them. That relationship will be tested in the coming weeks as Nola’s representatives attempt to score a huge contract for the right-hander.

There is time to reach an agreement. Will it happen?

“I don’t know,” Nola said. “I guess we’ll see. My reps are handling everything right now. I’m just focused on keeping my body healthy. Figuring out this pitch clock. That’s where my focus is, to be honest with you.”

(Photo: David J. Phillip / Associated Press)

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