NL East team were a ‘real threat’ to sign Aaron Nola (report)
The Phillies were not alone in their pursuit to come to terms with free agent right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola. Fellow National League East rival, the Atlanta Braves were a “real threat” to sign the veteran, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
“The Atlanta Braves were a real threat to poach Aaron Nola. But as negotiations with Nola and his agents, Joe Longo and Garrett Parcell, went on, the Phillies stepped up and gave out their biggest contract for a pitcher and 11th biggest ever,” Passan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Nola and the Phillies ultimately agreed to a seven-year, $172 million deal, first reported by Passan on Sunday afternoon. His new deal includes no opt-out and no team option in the deal.
The 30-year-old met with other teams prior to agreeing with Philadelphia, leaving more money on the table, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that both sides were gaining momentum towards a deal on Sunday morning.
“The Phillies’ contract talks with Aaron Nola have gained significant momentum in the past few days and there’s strong optimism that they’ll reach an agreement before the winter meetings,” reported Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The Braves have been very active over the last week, clearing room on their 40-man roster, presumably to make a big splash in the free agent market.
Now that Nola has signed back with the Phillies, other top free agent options like Jordan Montgomery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (once he’s posted), Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Lucas Giolito and Eduardo Rodriguez will soon follow.
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