The Rockies signed a pitcher Austin Nola to a minor league deal, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (X link). Nola will receive an invitation to the Rockies’ major league spring camp.
After signing a split contract with the Royals last winter, Nola did not appear in a single game for the Show, although he was briefly called up to the Kansas City lineup for a few days in June. Salvador Perez again Freddy Fermin both were so durable that the Royals never had a real need for another catcher in the lineup, and Nola didn’t do much to force the issue either, hitting just .174/.260/.298 over 191 plate appearances with Triple-A Omaha. The Royals removed Nola from their 40-man roster in September, and he became a free agent after the season.
Entering his age-35 season, the veteran outfielder will look to return to the majors in Colorado, though a deeper role in Triple-A is also possible given the number of catchers already there. Jacob Stallings re-signed to a new contract a few weeks ago, Hunter Goodman He is a versatile utility player who can handle, and is highly reliable Drew Romo he makes his MLB debut in 2024 and could be in line for more playing time on the active roster.
There is a bit of a full circle in Nola’s signing, as the Rockies selected him in the 48th round of the 2008 draft when Nola was still in high school, but instead chose college ball at LSU. Nola made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2019 and looked like a rising star, but his production gradually declined after being traded to the Padres in 2020. He was still getting regular at-bats behind the plate in San Diego as recently as 2022, however a steep decline in 2023 led to the Padres not tendering him a little over a year ago.
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