4 Philadelphia Phillies who won’t be back after losing NLCS to Diamondbacks

1. Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola's time with the Phillies is likely to end on a sour note, ultimately. The veteran right-hander had allowed just two total runs in his first three postseason starts, lasting at least 5.2 innings in all of them. Philadelphia was also 3-0 in those games, winning by a combined score of 27-3.

Then came Game 6 against the Diamondbacks and things really started to fall apart quickly for Nola. After shutting them down and allowing only three hits over six innings in Game 2, he got shelled by Arizona, lasting only 4.1 innings, giving up six hits, two walks, and four earned runs, including giving up two home runs and an RBI double in the second inning that set the tone for the eventual 5-1 loss.

Now, Nola is scheduled to hit free agency and figures to be one of the hottest commodities. And given widespread reports coming into the season that Nola and the Philadelphia front office weren't close on an extension last offseason, it seems most likely that a truly desperate team like the St. Louis Cardinals might make a play to simply outbid the Phillies for the right-hander.

The bigger problem is that it's likely to be more than just St. Louis who is willing to cut that type of check for Nola. That isn't to say the right-hander wouldn't be worth it for Philadelphia if they were to match, but rather that they may choose to play it smarter financially and find another solution that is not only more cost-effective, but might also be younger and more helpful long-term.