MLB Rumors: Dark horse suitor for the best 4 pitchers on the market

MLB Rumors: Aaron Nola trade dark horse suitor – Cincinnati Reds

The Philadelphia Phillies are in an interesting position. Just last year, they were two wins away from winning their first World Series title since 2008. They made moves in the offseason to help them make a return to the Fall Classic, notably adding shortstop Trea Turner and starting pitcher Taijuan Walker. Entering June 29, the Phillies are 42-37 and 10.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.

While buying could be in the cards for the Phillies, they do have one player that could be flipped. That is none other than Aaron Nola, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and would be one of the top starting pitchers available.

If the Phillies are to decide that it would be in their best interest to trade Nola to get some sort of return for him, the Cincinnati Reds should call.

No team has shocked MLB quite the way that the Reds have. Ever since they called up top prospect Elly De La Cruz, the Reds have been, well, red-hot, carrying a winning streak that spanned 12 games this month. With that, they have positioned themselves above the NL Central. The thing is, the Reds do not have a sizable lead, as that division is very wide open. Even the last-place St. Louis Cardinals are less than 10 games behind them for first place.

Adding a pitcher like Nola would benefit them. In a major-league-high 17 starts, Nola posted a 4.51 ERA, a 1.117 WHIP, a 7-5 win-loss record, 102 strikeouts, and 29 walks over 105.2 innings.