February 23: Nola inked a break up deal that pays him at a $975K price within the majors and $175K for time spent in Triple-A, stories The Related Press. He may tack on one other $250K in incentives for video games performed in MLB: $50K apiece at 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 contests.
February 22: The Royals introduced the signing of catcher Austin Nola to a serious league contract. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (X hyperlinks) first reported the deal. Kansas Metropolis positioned Kris Bubic on the 60-day injured checklist to clear a gap on the 40-man roster.
Nola, a consumer of Paragon Sports activities Worldwide, had been in camp with the Brewers on a non-roster pact. GM Matt Arnold instructed reporters this night that Milwaukee was granting him a launch to pursue different alternatives (relayed on X by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).
Milwaukee certainly has a reasonably crowded catching depth chart. Nola was by no means going to supplant William Contreras because the starter. On the time he agreed to his deal on January 5, the backup position was going to be held by Eric Haase. Milwaukee added a clearer #2 catcher this week after they signed Gary Sánchez. Haase stays on the roster and is out of choices. There was little probability of Nola securing an MLB job in camp until one or two of the gamers above him suffered an harm.
It’s the second straight 12 months during which Sánchez has blocked Nola’s path to huge league taking part in time. That’s largely on account of the latter’s latest struggles, significantly final season. He’d been the Opening Day catcher for the Padres in every of the final two years. He bought off to a really poor begin in 2023, hitting .146/.260/.192 over 52 video games. San Diego optioned him to Triple-A in mid-July, counting on the tandem of Sánchez (whom they’d claimed off waivers a couple of weeks earlier) and Luis Campusano for the stretch run.
Nola solely appeared in eight Triple-A contests. He spent a while on the minor league injured checklist. In September, he revealed that he’d been identified with oculomotor dysfunction, a imaginative and prescient dysfunction. Whereas that would’ve performed a job in his dismal manufacturing, it was however a simple name for San Diego to non-tender him. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected him for a $2.35MM wage if he have been provided an arbitration contract.
That ended an general disappointing tenure in Southern California. The Padres acquired Nola on the 2020 commerce deadline from the Mariners. Whereas the LSU product had hit .280/.351/.476 in a restricted pattern with Seattle, he managed a .234/.314/.320 slash over 819 plate appearances as a Padre.
His previously sturdy defensive marks additionally dropped precipitously. Nola had rated as an above-average framer and blocker early in his profession. Over the previous two seasons, he has acquired very poor grades in each departments. Nola has roughly common arm power.
Regardless of the latest struggles, he will get a 40-man roster spot in Kansas Metropolis. The Royals have Salvador Pérez and Freddy FermÃn as the 2 catchers on the 40-man. FermÃn performed nicely sufficient final 12 months to carry the backup job. Nola nonetheless has one minor league possibility remaining, although, so Ok.C. may hold him at Triple-A Omaha as wanted.
Nola has 4 years and 45 days of MLB service. Gamers with 5 years of service can not be optioned, so Nola would have the appropriate to refuse further minor league assignments as soon as he crosses the five-year threshold. That gained’t occur till the second half of subsequent season on the earliest. The Royals may hold him round for 2025 by way of arbitration, so it could possibly be a multi-year pickup if Nola finds his kind.
Picture courtesy of USA As we speak Sports activities.
