Aaron Nola was one of the seven athletes who declined qualifying offers totaling $20,325,000 from their previous teams on Tuesday in order to pursue more lucrative deals as free agents.
Apart from the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, outfielder Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs, pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell of San Diego, Sonny Gray of Minnesota, and third baseman Matt Chapman of Toronto were among those who turned down an offer from Nola.
A team would receive an additional selection in the amateur draft in July of next year if they made a qualifying offer, which is determined as the average of the top 125 contracts by average annual value. This is provided that a player signs with another team before then. One or two draft picks could be forfeited by the team signing the player.
Only 10 of the 131 qualifying offers that were made after the 2012 season were accepted.
Ohtani leads a class of free agents that includes Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is not eligible for draft-pick compensation, along with Nola, Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Jordan Montgomery, who start as starters.
Ohtani, 29 years old just finished one of the best two-way seasons in major league history while batting.304 with 44 home runs and a 3.14 ERA in his 10-5 record as a starting pitcher. But in September, he underwent his second Tommy John procedure, and it is anticipated that he won’t be able to pitch until 2025.
In addition to Seattle first baseman Mike Ford, Cleveland right-handers Cal Quantrill and Michael Kelly, Tampa Bay right-handers Cooper Criswell and Calvin Faucher, Kansas City catcher Logan Porter, and right-hander Josh Staumont, Washington first baseman Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott were designated for assignment to open roster spots prior to the deadline to protect players from the winter meeting draft.
Agreeing to one-year contracts among arbitration-eligible players were Kansas City right-hander Taylor Clarke, Washington outfielder Victor Robles and Nationals righty reliever Tanner Rainey.
Nola, will you remain in Philadelphia?
Nola stated that he wanted to return to Philadelphia after the Phillies’ National League Championship Series Game 7 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to CBS Philadelphia, Phillies managing partner John Middleton stated that the team will “try really hard” to get Nola back to platoon with star Zack Wheeler.
In October, Middleton declared, “We’re going to make a really concerted effort to re-sign him.” “We think Aaron is great. Not only does he have excellent pitching skills, but he also adds character to the dugout and clubhouse. He is an excellent human resource to have on your team. We will make a concerted effort to sign him.”
But, of course, the Phillies are going to have competition to bring Nola back.
Naturally, though, the Phillies will face opposition in their quest to get Nola back.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Nola is being considered by the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.
“A few names have truly come to light as serious contenders for the Atlanta Braves… Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola
In 32 starts over 193 2/3 innings, Nola gave up a career-high 32 home runs with a 4.46 ERA in 2023. Nevertheless, Nola remained among the National League’s top 10 in innings pitched, strikeouts (202) and WHIP (1.15).