While Aaron Nola had plenty of interested teams in free agency, the star pitcher decided to re-sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. But before his deal came together with the Phillies, the Atlanta Braves tried to steal Nola away from the only team he has ever known.
Nola confirmed that the Braves were one of the teams trying to sign him in free agency, via Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, Nola declined the offer in part due to his Phillies loyalty.
“The Braves had interest,” Nola said. “The business part of free agency, a lot of teams are looking for pitching. It's part of the process, going through it and talking to teams. They were interested.”
“It would've been weird to wear a (different uniform), being with one team your whole career then having something else on your chest. It would've definitely felt weird.”
Philadelphia selected Nola seventh overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. He made his debut in the big leagues in 2015 and hasn't looked back since. Over 235 starts with the team, Nola has put up a 90-71 record with a 3.72 ERA and a 1,582/371 K/BB ratio. He was named an All-Star in 2o18.
Signing a deal with the Braves would've greatly increased Atlanta's World Series hopes. However, Aaron Nola decided to stay in Philadelphia. The seven-year, $172 million contract was more than enough incentive. However, Nola has been battling with Philadelphia to get to the top since 2015. Other teams might've had interest, but Nola wants to achieve his goal with the Phillies.