Nola Taking Big Risk Without Contract Extension From Phillies
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Aaron Nola has taken the baseball to start four games this season.
He has hardly looked like a Cy Young candidate.
Nola is 1-2 with a 5.91 ERA.
Along the way, he has looked very uncomfortable with the newly installed pitching clock. Nola has always been slow moving on the mound and you can see he doesn’t appear quite right thus far in 2023.
In Nola last start, he was given a nine-run lead in the first inning in what wound up being a 14-3 Philadelphia Phillies victory over the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed five hits and three runs, two earned, to go along with four strikeouts and three walks. The huge lead obviously helped.
Nola went 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA in the regular season and a 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in five postseason games in 2022. It was his first time competing in the playoffs.
Nola finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting. He came in third in '18 and seventh in ’20.
Right now, he looks nowhere like a Cy Young pitcher.
Nola is pitching this season for $16 million in the final year of his deal.
Nola and the Phillies tried negotiating a long-term contract but ultimately stalled talks when the season was about to start. No specific numbers were offered, but it sure appeared that the two sides are still far apart.
It’s tough to gauge Nola’s worth. Is it five years and $125 million? Or six years and, say, $200 million? Whatever the numbers, it’s risky for Nola to pitch all season without an extension.
He’s off to a shaky start. While the sample size is only four starts, it has been painfully obvious that Nola isn’t pitching like an ace.
If Nola turns things around and winds up with a stellar season, the money will come. But it could come elsewhere.
Replacing Nola in 2024 won’t be easy. He’s durable, talented and almost always available.
Keep your eye on this storyline all season. Nola’s future with the Phillies is hardly a given.
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