Nola, Phillies agree on contract
Pitcher Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $45-million, fouryear contract, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for this week.
The deal was announced Wednesday.
The 25-year-old righthander set career bests last year when he was a firsttime All-Star. He had a 17-6 record and 2.37 earned-run average.
“I think Aaron Nola brings a preparation we can all look up to and our other players can emulate,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think his between-the-lines competitiveness is off the charts. He’s such a fighter, he’s such a grinder, he’s such a battler.”
Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Nola had asked for a raise from $573,000 to $6.75 million and the Phillies had offered $4.5 million. Nola is to discuss the deal Thursday.
Kapler said that pitcher Jake Arrieta had surgery last month for a cartilage cleanup in his left knee.
Arrieta has thrown off a mound and is expected to be ready for the season. He was 10-11 with a 3.96 ERA last year.
Etc.
Left-handed reliever Jake Diekman signed a $2.25-million, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, who made room on the 40-man roster by putting right-hander Jesse Hahn on the 60-day injured list. Diekman is 14-15 with a 3.75 ERA in seven seasons . ... Lefthander Brett Anderson signed a $1.5-million, oneyear contract with the Oakland Athletics. He was 4-5 with a 4.48 ERA last season with the A’s . ... Catcher Caleb Joseph and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year contract that calls for a $1.1-million salary in the major leagues and a $250,000 salary in the minors. Arizona opened a roster spot by putting righthander Taijuan Walker on the 60-day injured list. Joseph is a career .224 hitter with 31 home runs and 122 runs batted in . ... Right-handed reliever Trevor Gott was traded for cash to the San Francisco Giants by the Washington Nationals. Gott is 5-4 with a 4.64 earned-run average since making his major league debut in 2015 with the Angels . ... The Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group are launching a regional sports network in 2020 that will be the team’s exclusive TV home.