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The Philadelphia Phillies and starting pitcher Aaron Nola have broken off their contract extension talks, team president David Dombrowski announced on Saturday.
“We are not going to get that done at this point. We think the world of Aaron. It’s something that we’ve talked long and hard with Aaron and his representative about,” Dombrowski said. “Think the world of him. Quality pitcher. Quality human being. But sometimes you just get to this point where you’re just not able to consummate a deal that both sides feel comfortable.”
Nola and the Phillies will resume negotiations after the upcoming 2023 season.
Nola struggled against the New York Yankees during his final Spring Training start on Saturday before Opening Day, giving up five earned runs on six hits in an 8-3 loss.
On Friday, the team announced Nola will be the Opening Day starter. He’ll face Jacob deGrom and the Rangers on March 30 in Texas.
This is Nola’s sixth straight opening day start. Only Robin Roberts (12) and Steve Carlton (10) made more consecutive opening day starts with the Phillies.
The Phillies open on the road with three games in Texas, then three at Yankee Stadium. Their home opener is April 6, a week after opening day, against the Reds.
Nola, 30 in June, is entering a contract year. He’s coming off of the second-best season of his career. In 205 innings, he pitched to a 3.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 235 strikeouts and just 29 walks. He threw 25 more innings than the year before and allowed seven fewer home runs. He made four strong starts in September and didn’t allow an earned run in either of his first two playoff starts, wins over the Cardinals and Braves.
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