MLB rumors: Interesting Soto destination picking up steam, Nola's fate in Philly, White Sox budding star
- Jake Eder is getting close to White Sox debut
- Aaron Nola's high asking price could make Phillies balk
- Cubs emerging as trade threat for Juan Soto
MLB Rumors: Aaron Nola asking Phillies for $200 million
Aaron Nola is asking the Philadelphia Phillies for a contract in the ballpark of eight years and $200 million, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Phillies have "balked" at Nola's demands, but he remains a priority for the franchise.
"We hope to retain him," Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters at the season-ending press conference. "But, if we don’t, that would be our No. 1 area that we’d need to then replace him. We need to be in a position where we have somebody else that would be a starting pitcher of quality in the rotation. It’s either Aaron or somebody else."
The Phillies have been generally unafraid to spend money in free agency, handing massive contracts to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and others in recent years. Of course, that serves as a dual-edged sword in this scenario. Ownership is willing to spend for a contender, but there is a lot of money on the books already. That could make it more difficult to swallow Nola's high asking price.
It wasn't Nola's most effective regular season — 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.151 WHIP — but, as Nightengale notes, he leads the MLB in total starts since 2018. That durability has real value, and Nola was spectacular during the Phillies' postseason run (with the exception of a bumpy Game 6 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS).
So, Dombrowski lays it out with relative clarity. Either the two sides come to terms, or the Phillies make it their offseason priority to land Nola's replacement. It will be difficult to find a pitcher of comparable quality without dishing out a sizable contract, but Nola's days in Philly have long felt numbered.
Was Game 6's disaster in front of the home crowd his last goodbye? It's certainly possible.