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The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed starting pitcher Aaron Nola are in agreement on a four-year extension, that includes a club option for a fifth season, the team announced. Sources told ESPN that the value of the deal is $45 million. Nola, 25, was scheduled for an arbitration hearing this week. The deal, which includes a $16 million club option with a $4.25 million buyout, can cover what would have been his first two years in free agency. "I think Aaron Nola brings a preparation we can all look up to and our other players can emulate," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told reporters Wednesday. "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." Nola is coming off a career-best season -- 17-6 with 224 strikeouts and a 2.37 ERA in 33 starts. He finished third in the National League Cy Young voting behind winner Jacob deGrom of the Mets and Max Scherzer of the Nationals. Nola will receive a $2 million signing bonus and make $4 million in 2019, $8 million in 2020, $11.75 million in 2021 and $15 million in 2022. He earned $573,000 last season. During arbitration exchange, the Phillies had offered Nola $4.4 million for this season; he was seeking $5.25 million. "He doesn't want any of the attention, he doesn't want the spotlight on him," Kapler said. "He just wants to compete, compete, compete. That's what he's done and that's why he's one of the two or three best pitches in the National League over the course of the last couple of years." Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Nola had asked for a raise from $573,000 to $6.75 million. The Phillies had offered $4.5 million. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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