Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects that Nola will go west in search of a deal that the Phillies should be more than happy to match.
The World Series already seems like a long time ago, with the MLB free agent season just getting underway. As players enter the free market and qualifying offers are extended—or not—the opportunities appear to be unlimited.
Aaron Nola, the big free agent for the Philadelphia Phillies and one of the best starting pitchers in this class, is creating a lot of excitement. There are many theories and conjectures regarding which teams will be vying for him and his final destination. Jim Bowden of The Athletic provides his prediction (subscription required) regarding the right-hander’s future team.
Although The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber (subscription needed) believes that the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Atlanta Braves are the main teams vying for Nola’s services, Bowden believes that the native talent of the Phillies will wind up on the West Coast.
Will the Los Angeles Dodgers sign Nola?
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who were eliminated from the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks without much fanfare, are in need of starting pitching reinforcements due to the progressive decline of their rotation over the 2023 season.
Bowden believes the Dodgers will eventually acquire Nola, but only after they are unable to acquire Shohei Ohtani, the biggest fish in the pond. Shortly after losing out on Ohtani, he believes the NL West winners will make a move for Nola and sign the 30-year-old free agent.
“Aaron Nola signs a five-year, $125 million deal with the Dodgers about 24 hours after they learn that they’ve lost out on Ohtani,” Bowden predicts.
Half a decade? $125 million, huh? Is that all?
It appears that the Phillies would be more than happy to give their starting pitcher a contract that exceeds $200 million and eight years, based on earlier reports that Nola and the Phillies were at odds during their contract negotiations.
There will be real concerns about how serious Nola was about wanting to stay in Philadelphia and how serious the Phillies were about having him back if this is the contract he signed and it’s not in Philadelphia.
Time will tell, though.