MLB Insider Links Upcoming Free Agent Nola to Philadelphia Phillies' Division Rival

One MLB insider believes the Atlanta Braves could make a strong push to sign Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola, when he hits the free agent market this winter.

Jack Vita | Sep 14, 2023

MLB Insider Links Upcoming Free Agent Nola to Philadelphia Phillies' Division Rival /

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Philadelphia Phillies

It appears Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is on the cusp of making himself a lot of money.

The 30 year-old is scheduled to be a free agent for the first time in his career, upon the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Top news breaker and longtime national baseball writer Bob Nightengale recently said that he believes eight to ten teams will be vying for Nola's services this winter. Among teams bidding for Nola, could be the Phillies' arch nemesis.

Nightengale was asked recently on the Jack Vita Show about the potential market for Nola, with the offseason approaching. Among the teams he listed were the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers.

"And I wouldn’t rule out Atlanta," Nightengale said. "People always want to play in Atlanta. They would like to have a reinforcement like that. They have a lot of young kids. They don’t have to have him."

The Braves don't have to have Nola, but the All-Star sure would be a nice luxury.

Nola met the Braves in the National League Division Series last October in a pivotal Game 3. In only his second career playoff start, Nola allowed zero earned runs off five hits and two walks, while striking out six in the Phillies' 9-1 victory. Nola's big time performance helped Philadelphia take a 2-1 lead, putting Atlanta on the brink of elimination. The Phillies would go on to clinch a series win in Game 4, en route to their first World Series appearance since 2009.

The Braves are on-track to finish the 2023 season with the National League's best record and the no. 1 seed in the postseason. Atlanta would play the winner of the NL Wild Card Series between the league's top two Wild Card teams. If the season ended September 12, the Phillies would play the Cubs in a best-of-3 series, with the winner advancing to play the Braves. Nola's club will have a chance to upend the Braves' season for the second straight year.

Certainly, the Braves wouldn't mind not having to run into Nola in the postseason again, and perhaps plucking him from the hands of their division rival.

You can catch the full conversation with Bob Nightengale on the Jack Vita Show here:

Published Sep 14, 2023

JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.