Dodgers Could Pursue Philadelphia Phillies Ace in Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies hope to keep Aaron Nola, but his postseason performance is sure to interest other teams.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola started Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against Arizona and put on another show, one that other MLB teams were surely watching.

You see, Nola is a free agent after the postseason. It will be his first chance to hit the market since he broke in with the Phillies.

Many teams are likely to be interested in Nola, including the Phillies, even though the team and Nola were way apart on a contract extension during their most recent discussions.

Among the teams that could be interested in Nola are the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers aren’t using Nola by name. But, in a recent interview, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that the team will be focused on starting pitching this offseason.

"We'll certainly be focused on starting pitcher for sure,” he said. “And it's how to balance the young guys, where we're at there, obviously Walker Buehler is coming back and then the market, whether through trade or free agency."

The Dodgers wish they were playing right now, but the Dodgers were swept out of the playoffs by Arizona. They’re plotting to get back to the World Series, where they won the title in 2020.

Los Angeles could pursue many different avenues for starting pitching, as Friedman noted. Plus, there is another starting pitcher on the market that could hold the Dodgers’ attention, even though he won’t pitch next season. That would be Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Nola finished this regular season 12-9 with a 4.46. In his first two postseason starts, one each against Miami and Atlanta, he allowed two earned runs in 12.2 innings pitched.

The Phillies right-hander would certainly satisfy the Dodgers’ desire for starting pitching. But they’ll have to wait until after the postseason — and hope the Phillies don’t try to keep Nola.