The Philadelphia Phillies decided to keep one of their most promising pitchers recently when they signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year deal reportedly worth upwards of $172 million.

Nola turned down more money to stay with the Phillies, in the city he called the “most comfortable place for him.” Star slugger Bryce Harper has also reportedly been in contact with the team about a new contract extension, a strange proposition considering the length of his current deal.

The Phillies are coming off of a 4-3 National League Championship series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks last season.

Dombrowski Reveals Hidden Reason for Nola Contract

The Phillies resigned Nola in large part because they wanted to keep him away from other teams, team president Dave Dombrowski said recently.

Specifically, the focus was on keeping Nola away from division rivals in the National League East including the Atlanta Braves.

“It was most important that we kept him for ourselves,” Dombrowski said according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, “but I sure wouldn’t have wanted him to go to Atlanta, either, or somebody that’s in our own division.”

Last season, Nola compiled an ERA of 4.46 with a 12-9 win-loss record. He had 202 strikeouts in just over 192 innings and a 1.151 WHIP.

Rotation Remains Phillies Strength

The Phillies led the majors last season with a 2.20 team postseason ERA, and figure to rely on Nola and his peers yet again this coming season.

During the regular season, the Phillies were twelfth in the Majors in pitching, suggesting that Dombrowski, Manager Rob Thomson and pitching coach Caleb Cotham have plenty of work to do if the team is to become the MLB's best in 2024.

The good news is that there's plenty of time to assemble what should be one of the best overall squads, and pitching staffs, in the Majors again next season.