Phillies' Nola Deal Won't Stop Pursuit of More Pitching

The Philadelphia Phillies managed to keep their free-agent pitcher, Aaron Nola. It’s possible the Phillies aren’t done.

Philadelphia Baseball Review reported on Sunday that the agreement with Nola doesn’t prevent the Phillies from pursuing one of the biggest names on the free-agent pitching market — Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto — or any of the other top-tier pitching free agents.

PBR also reported that Philadelphia is interested in signing Zack Wheeler to an extension.

Nola and the Phillies agreed to a seven-year, $172 million deal on Sunday, pending a physical. A deal like that would net Nola nearly $25 million per year.

But getting Yamamoto would be a coup for the Phillies, who have their entire rotation locked up for 2024.

It's possible Yamamoto could land a contract in excess of $200 million, which doesn’t include the posting fee the team that signs him must pay to his Japanese club, the Orix Buffaloes.

Just 25 years old, Yamamoto has a 70-29 record. He has a mid-90s fastball, but he is best known for an array of breaking pitches that can befuddle hitters. This season he had just a 1.21 ERA. He also went 16-6 and struck out 169 hitters in 164 innings.

Yamamoto recently wrapped up play in the Japan Series, their country’s equivalent of the World Series. His final game saw him strike out 14 hitters in Game 6, which set a series record.

He has thrown two no-hitters in his career, including one earlier this year. He’s also won gold medals for Japan in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Wheeler is a free agent after the 2024 season. He signed a five-year, $118 million deal before the 2020 season and will make $23.5 million in 2024, unless an extension means a contract restructure.

The Phillies lured Wheeler away from their arch-rivals, the New York Mets — who are also among those teams interested in Yamamoto. Wheeler has been worth the money, as he’s gone 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA in four seasons with the Phillies. He has been named an All-Star once and has finished in the Top-20 of Cy Young balloting three times, including a second-place finish in 2021 when he went 14-10 with a 2.78 ERA and led the NL with 247 strikeouts.

Wheeler is coming off a 13-5 season with a 3.61 ERA and 212 strikeouts.