Phillies Re-Sign Aaron Nola 7 years/$172 Million

[julio]

Anyway, some doubted Nola's attachment to this region. That's over, and so is any lingering sense (which was already long gone I'd say) of those Rolen/Schilling years when players wanted out.

We have ownership that is committed to winning, and making the effort - as opposed to "providing wholesome family entertainment" and income for a combination of disinterested venture capitalists and a relatively shallow-pocket General Partner who was better at PR than at corporate management.

We have a first-class front office, finally.

... and, after two consecutive "Red Octobers," we have a fan base that passionately supports the team; a fan base that will, for example, turn an ill-considered emotional outburst into pretty intense player love, when the player simply acknowledges his own passion, and that of the fans (the Bohm thing).

There will always be some things that I don't like about Philadelphia, notwithstanding being born at Temple University hospital, but there's a lot to like, too. MLB players could do a lot worse, and many of them seem to get that.

[David_Criss]

He was the best starting pitcher available in free agency this year IMO. Great signing. Isn't going to break the bank and doesn't cost a draft pick. Wish they could extend Wheeler for 3 or 4 years now, too.

[julio]

[xogfog]

I don’t like Nola, I’m obviously in the minority, didn’t want him back, certainly not for 7 years. Yes, he has been durable, but there is also a lot of miles on those tires. Nola is only successful if his stuff is 94-96 mph. He’ll be throwing 91-93 before you know it and he will be tattooed. He’s not Greg Maddox. This deal is going to be terrible in about 2 years in, trust me. Hopefully they win a tWorld Series in these next couple years. Hopefully Painter returns and turns into an ace letting Nola drop back to a 3 where maybe he won’t hurt you as much. I think we are entering the part of the Dombroski era where he overpays his veterans based on their past performance and shipwrecks the team for a decade while the team gets ancient and unproductive. Better win that World Series soon…

[schillingfan]

I never doubted it for a minute. As Julio said, class organization wlling to spend to win. Two Red Octobers, why would he want to leave when given fair offer?

[zambonir]

I don't agree about Nola (especially compared to the other available pitchers) but you're not wrong about the narrow window. Especially so if they re-sign Wheeler and JT. The lengths of these deals aside nobody is really looking past 2026 or 2027. At some point there's bound to be either a Mets-like season or a deliberate reset and then the question will be how much Harper and Turner have left as part of a new core.

[bkox]

Im guessing Middleton really wants the Phillies window to extend to 2026 when Phila will be in the spotlight for the country's 250th birthday and the Phillies host the all-star game.

So I wouldnt expect a reset until 2027.

Scary thing is we already have 3 players signed for 2030. But its not THAT scary in that its only (hard to type only) about $75M committed that season

[Austinfan]

It comes down to rebuilding the farm system - if in 2026 Painter is #1, Abel is #2 at low cost, Nola #3, Ranger #4 (with an extension), Sanchez, is a heck of a rotation without Wheeler, and deeper with Wheeler - with two top young pitchers making peanuts, overpaying two veteran pitchers can be handled for a few seasons.

Same on the field, if Miller turns out to be a 30 HR 3B, you can live with a declining Harper and Turner, and so on.

[zambonir]

I certainly don't expect a reset before 2027, maybe not even 2028 if they re-sign Wheeler (if not he's also gone in 2025) and Realmuto (even if JT is only an 80-game catcher by then. I doubt Marchan is more than a tandem guy himself). But by then they will have had to replace Schwarber, Castellanos (hopefully before his deal is up) and probably Bohm. If Painter, Abel, Miller, and Crawford are all key pieces by 2027 great but can't count on that either (and you still need Harper and Turner to be producing at that point).

What they do or don't do on the trade market over the next two years (whether in the off-season or at the deadline) will obviously be crucial too.

But sometimes you don't plan the reset, the reset happens to you. Not hard to see a season like 2012 happening to this group sooner than later. There's just more money and a better front office and hopefully, greater prospect options, to avoid a repeat of what happened after that (both short and long-term).