Report: Aaron Nola, Phillies in talks on long-term extension

The Phillies have had quite a productive offseason and they would love nothing more than to cap it off with a long-term extension for Aaron Nola.

The two sides are reportedly in talks, according to The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb. Both sides have exchanged numbers, but there is a deadline to get a deal done and it is Opening Day on March 30. If a deal is not reached, he’s open to continuing negotiations with the Phillies before free agency opens, but for now, the Phillies have about six weeks to hash out a deal with Nola or risk losing him to another bidder months later.

But the hope is that it would not come to that. Gelb adds in his story that “there appears to be momentum for an agreement sometime this spring.”

Nola, 29, is entering his ninth season with the Phillies and is the club’s longest-tenured player. He’s finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting twice and is 29 strikeouts away from surpassing Pete Alexander for sixth on the Phillies all-time list.

He rebounded from a disappointing 2021 season in 2022, posting a 3.25 ERA across 205 innings during the regular season. Nola also recorded the best September of his career last season, posting a 2.36 ERA and limiting hitters to a .509 OPS against during the final month of the season. He was excellent in his first two postseason starts but faltered at the end due to fatigue.

Spring is contract extension season in baseball and the Phillies have been quite busy on this front as they’ve opened camp with new contracts for their two-best relievers in Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado.

Now they have a chance to lock up their top starter.

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