Tuesday’s qualifying offer deadline was the last hurdle for the Texas Rangers if they intend to pursue Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola.
The Rangers have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Nola, should he refuse the Phillies’ qualifying offer.
Well, on Tuesday, that’s what Nola did, passing on a guaranteed $20.325 million in 2024 to pursue what should be a multi-year deal.
Nola is coming off a five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies, one he signed during his arbitration years. He and the Phillies attempted to get an extension done last winter, but the sides were reportedly more than $100 million apart.
The belief is that while the Phillies hope to get Nola back, it’s unlikely he’ll return.
Nola will test the market after going 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA, 202 strikeouts and 45 walks in 2003. He’s recorded at least 200 strikeouts in each of his last five full seasons.
The Phillies may want him back, but the Rangers are among the teams that make sense for Nola. The right-hander is 90-71 with a 3.73 ERA over the course of his career in Philadelphia, which drafted Nola in the first round in 2014.
Nola made his MLB debut a year later and has made one All-Star Game appearance, one World Series appearance and finished in the Top 10 of Cy Young voting three times.
The Rangers have quality starting pitching under contract for 2024, most notably Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney. Dane Dunning is heading into his first year of arbitration, and the Rangers have Cody Bradford entering his second year. Jacob deGrom is under contract but expected to miss most of 2024 after UCL surgery.
The Rangers are expected to pursue left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who was acquired via trade in August.
The Rangers have the best possible sales pitch for Nola — they’ve the defending world champions.
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