Dodgers Rumors: LA Emerges as Destination for Top NL Starting Pitcher

LA needs a big-time pitcher. Is Nola the answer?

Free agency started less than a week ago, and the rumors are already swirling. It's no secret your Los Angeles Dodgers are in on many of the top free agents (which is the case most years), but there are only a handful that are realistic. 

Last season, LA decided to stay quiet and go with reclamation projects; this season, and with how things ended, they might do a complete 180. The Boys in Blue are also in the running for the most coveted free agent of all time, Shohei Ohtani. However, many other great players could help LA claim title No. 8. 

One of the players who would help them in a significant way is Phillies All-Star ace Aaron Nola. Nola is set to hit free agency and could garner a ton of money. Many teams will be in on the righty ace, including your Dodgers, at least according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, per sources. 

GMs believe that the Phillies will let Nola walk, and will turn their attention to Blake Snell, who’s about to win his second Cy Young award. This would leave Nola going to either St. Louis, Atlanta, Texas or perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers.

(Per Bob Nightengale via USA Today)

Nola would immediately bolster LA's pitching rotation, not only throughout 162 but in the postseason. His ERA this past regular season may have been 4.46, but in the postseason, it went down to 2.35 with a 3-1 record in four games. He also had 23 strikeouts and a 0.96 WHIP in 23 innings pitched. 

And if you're the Dodgers, the postseason numbers should be the only ones that matter. LA needs some DOGS in the postseason, not guys who crumble when it matters most, and Nola excels when the lights are brightest. 

Still, it'll be tough to secure a guy like him, as he will garner a ton of money, and many teams will want his talents. Still, LA has money to burn, and hopefully, they use it properly.