Phillies Set Starter For Spring Training Home Opener

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The Philadelphia Phillies will give their big free-agent signing of 2024 a spin on Sunday as they host the New York Yankees in their spring training opener in Clearwater, Fla.

It’s a pitcher familiar to Phillies fans — Aaron Nola.

The start will be his first of the spring training slate, as the Phillies opened on Saturday at Dunedin, Fla., against the Toronto Blue Jays. Kolby Allard, a potential candidate to be the team’s fifth starter, opened that game.

MLB.com reported Nola’s selection as Sunday’s starter.

The Phillies were able to retain Nola this offseason, but not before he turned down the team’s one-year qualifying offer of $20.325 million guaranteed for 2024. He and the Phillies also tried to negotiate a multi-year extension last spring training, to no avail.

Back then, the Phillies offered Nola $100 million. Once he hit the open market, he and the Phillies agreed to a seven-year, $172 million deal, which carries an average annual value of nearly $25 million per year.

He ended up being the Phillies’ major acquisition of the offseason, as their courtship of Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t lead to a new contract. The Phillies are now focused on getting a multi-year extension done with another pitcher, Zack Wheeler, who is in the final year of his contract with Philadelphia.

Wheeler signed a five-year, $118 million deal when he joined the Phillies.

Nola bet on himself and won. In 2023 he went 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA with 202 strikeouts and 45 walks. He’s recorded at least 200 strikeouts in each of his last five full seasons. He has a career record of 90-71 with a 3.73 career ERA.

He’s also made one All-Star Game appearance, one World Series appearance and finished in the Top 10 of Cy Young voting three times.