Phillies' Dave Dombrowski optimistic about team's future after signing Aaron Nola: "He has proven to be one of the best"

Philadelphia Phillies head of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, is confident about the team's future after re-signing Aaron Nola on a seven-year contract.

Nola will have a chance to continue his already impressive legacy with the Phillies. The ace pitcher will earn $172 million through to 2030. Nola has been part of the team since they selected him in the MLB draft in 2014.

If he completes the full obligations on his contract, the 30-year-old would pitch for 16 straight seasons with the franchise, a record for a Phillies pitcher.

The 2023 season was a bit mediocre for Nola considering his lofty standards. He had an ERA of 4.46 with a dip in his strikeout rate to 25.5 percent. Nola even gave the seventh highest home runs in baseball with 32. However, that changed as the postseason arrived, as he pitched 23 innings with a 2.35 ERA and with 23 Ks.

Dombrowski had made it a priority agenda of the team to re-sign Aaron Nola following their game 7 loss in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks:

“Aaron has proven to be one of the best and most durable pitchers in our game for a number of years now, and when considering his leadership abilities and his character, it was very important for us to keep him a part of the Phillies family.”

---

Aaron Nola is an important piece in the Phillies rotation

The Phillies have been unable to go all the way, as they have lacked depth in their starting rotation.

Aaron Nola is the primary ace along with Zach Wheeler who can do plenty of positive things. With a strong supporting cast consisting of Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sanchez, the Phillies could field a strong rotation for 2024.

Nola has the fifth best WAR in the sport for any pitcher, with 26.0 in the last five seasons. If he regains his top form, it will help him and Philadelphia immensely.