These Teams Reportedly Pursued Aaron Nola Before Phillies Deal

In retaining Aaron Nola, the Phillies also prevented a pair of rivals from adding a frontline starting pitcher.

The first domino in the Major League Baseball free agent pitching market fell Sunday when Nola landed a seven-year deal in Philadelphia, where he was drafted seventh overall in 2014. Staying with the Phillies apparently was Nola’s preference all along, and the 30-year-old reportedly left money on the table to stick around in the City of Brotherly Love.

Nola also passed on the opportunity to join arguably the most talented team in the big leagues. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the National League East rival Atlanta Braves pursued Nola before he came to terms with the Fightins. The St. Louis Cardinals also made a run at Nola, per Nightengale.

Both the Braves and the Cardinals figure to be players in the starting pitching market moving forward. As of last week, St. Louis was the betting favorite to sign Sonny Gray, who is coming off an All-Star season with the Minnesota Twins. Other options include Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who’s expected to be posted Monday.

Nola’s new deal with the Phillies reportedly is worth $172 million and includes a full no-trade clause but no opt-outs.