And here we go. The MLB off-season has been waiting for any domino to fall in order to get things moving and that appears to have happened over the weekend. The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed right-hander Aaron Nola, one of the premier free agent pitchers on the market.

The 30-year-old broke into the majors in 2015 with the Phillies and has established himself as one of the most durable starting pitchers around. He’s a legit workhorse evidenced by the fact that since 2017, only one hurler has logged more innings than Nola’s 1,233.1 — that would be ace right-hander Gerrit Cole, who tossed 1,279.2.

Here’s a closer look at the Nola deal and what it means.

The deal: Nola and the Phillies agreed to a seven-year, $172 million contract.

The runners-up: The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers were among the clubs who made offers to Nola, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Now, both clubs will need to look elsewhere to fill their rotation needs.

The player: As mentioned, Nola’s best asset is his durability. He’s made at least 32 starts in five of the past six seasons, with the only exception being the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. The Phillies have been able to simply plug Nola atop their rotation and not have to worry — a true luxury in the game today and the primary reason why the right-hander landed his big deal.

Nola isn’t exactly a Statcast darling and doesn’t have the type of raw stuff that other frontline starters possess. For context, his fastball averaged just 92.7 m.p.h. last season. However, Nola knows how to pitch and that portends well for both him and the Phillies, given that his contract will take him through his age 37 season.

He struggled at times in 2023 and posted a pedestrian 4.46 ERA and 4.03 FIP. Also concerning was that his K/9 ratio fell to 9.39, his worst mark since his rookie campaign in 2015. However, those numbers aside, it’s worth noting Nola regained his form when it mattered most, dominating in three of his four post-season starts for the Phillies.

The fit: This signing keeps a certain level of status quo for the Phillies, a club that has been an October giant the past two years, having lost the World Series in six games in 2022 and dropping the NLCS in seven games in 2023.

Nola joins Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos as players on the Phillies roster who’ve been signed to deals in excess of $100 million.

With Nola stabilizing the rotation, the Phils can turn their focus elsewhere and some reports say the club is looking to further bolster its rotation by pursuing Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Adding the 25-year-old phenom to a rotation with Nola and Wheeler would certainly make for a scary trio who could rival, if not entirely surpass, any club in baseball.

The market: MLB Trade Rumors predicted Nola would fetch a contract worth six years and $150 million. He beat that in both term and dollars.

The next domino: Now that Nola is off the board, the market for a top-flight starting pitcher figures to revolve around Yamamoto — who can begin negotiating with MLB clubs on Tuesday after being officially posted by his Japanese club, the Orix Buffaloes — and reigning NL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell.

Aaron Nola signing represents first big deal of MLB off-season

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