The Red Sox must work shortly to bolster their beginning rotation, as their aggressive former president of baseball operations has already taken a high arm off the board.
On Sunday, Dave Dombrowski’s Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron Nola agreed to phrases on a seven-year deal value $172 million.
Nola, 30, has spent his total profession in purple pinstripes to this point and appears destined to turn out to be the uncommon Major Leaguer of his period to proceed that to the tip. The Phillies drafted him seventh total in 2014, and he debuted simply 13 months later. Over 9 years, he owns a profession 3.72 ERA, 3.38 FIP, and 1.129 WHIP within the common season. He’s completed between third and seventh in National League Cy Young voting thrice since 2018 when he additionally grew to become a first-time All-Star and completed thirteenth within the NL MVP race.
For a Phillies crew that has undergone immense turmoil and transformation during the last decade, Nola has been the uncommon fixed, so it comes as little shock that they pulled out all of the stops to get a deal executed early. He was with them throughout the irritating, typically seemingly-endless, downward spiral and malaise that adopted their 2007-11 “Golden Era,” and was essential to them ending their postseason drought final 12 months.
The 2022 Phillies had been solely the third Wild Card crew however overcame the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres to win their first pennant since 2009. They went all the way in which to Game 6 of the World Series. They had been a playoff crew once more this 12 months however fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks within the NLCS. Nola has 9 profession postseason begins below his belt over these two Octobers, together with 4 scoreless performances of at the least six innings apiece.
While re-signing with the Phillies appeared the possible final result of his free company, Nola was an interesting goal for the Red Sox for one easy, but essential purpose: well being. Since his first full season within the Majors in 2016, he’s made 20 or extra begins yearly, and at the least 32 in every of the final 5 162-game seasons. No Red Sox pitcher made 30 begins in 2023, and solely Nick Pivetta reached the mark in 2022. Boston hasn’t had a pitcher with at the least 5 30-start seasons since Jon Lester between 2008-13.
Dombrowski used to work this shortly for Boston, bringing in high arms early in consecutive offseasons. Between Nov. 13 and Dec. 4, 2015, he acquired Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres and signed David Price to a then-franchise file seven-year, $217 million contract. On Dec. 6 the next 12 months, he traded 4 prospects to get Chris Sale. All three had been essential to the historic 2018 season and World Series championship.
Nola was the primary domino to fall, and now that he has, others received’t be far behind. The free-agent beginning pitching market is headlined by a trio of elite arms in Shohei Ohtani (who received’t pitch in 2024), Nippon star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and 2023 NL Cy Young Blake Snell. They might additionally goal newly-minted World Series champ Jordan Montgomery or try a reunion with Eduardo Rodriguez, and naturally, they’ve sufficient expertise of their farm system to swing some spectacular trades.
If the Red Sox are critical about constructing a winner this winter, Craig Breslow would possibly wish to take a web page out of Dombrowski’s guide.
Source: www.bostonherald.com