Phillies' Rotation Has Excelled Despite Overpaid Pitcher Being Injured

Do the Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most overpaid pitchers in baseball this year?

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After slipping up a bit of late, the Philadelphia Phillies will have some reinforcements on the way soon.

The Phillies were recently able to build up a nice lead in the National League East with the team performing better after the trade deadline and the New York Mets collapsing of late.

However, Philadelphia lost the final two games of their series against the Cincinnati Reds, and then dropped the series opener to the Washington Nationals. Losing games to the Nationals at this point in the season isn’t ideal, and the offense is going to have to wake up for the Phillies.

This is a unit that has a lot of talent, but has mostly been nowhere to be found in the last three games. Philadelphia has been relying on their starting rotation to carry them for most of the year, and that unit is going to be looking different coming up.

Despite a lot of success, they are going to be integrating a player who has struggled and missed time back into the rotation against Washington.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Phillies starter Aaron Nola being one of the most overpaid players in baseball this year, with his poor performance before getting injured.

“Normally the patron saint of durability, this will be Nola's first season failing to log enough innings to qualify for an ERA title since 2016, nearing a return from what has been almost three months on the IL at this point.”

For quite some time, Nola has been a frontline pitcher for Philadelphia and a workhorse. During their recent stretch of success, he has been a significant part of that alongside Zack Wheeler at the top of the rotation.

Has Aaron Nola Been Overpaid This Year?

May 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

However, this campaign did not start well for Nola. Before he was placed on the injured list, he totaled a 1-7 record and 6.16 ERA. Those are some shockingly poor numbers for the right-hander, who is making north of $20 million this season.

With Nola out, the Phillies’ rotation figured to be in a bit of trouble. However, they didn’t miss him at all, and he is going to have to earn a role. Philadelphia is going to go to a six-man rotation upon his return, but nothing is going to be given to him in terms of his role come October.

Hopefully, he can turn this poor campaign around, but as of now, he has been one of the most overpaid players in baseball this season.