A New Suitor Has Emerged For Philadelphia Phillies' Ace in Free Agency

Competition seems to be heating up to sign former Philadelphia Phillies' ace Aaron Nola in free agency that could end his time with the organization.

The old saying, "where there's smoke, there's fire" seems to perfectly fit the situation surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron Nola.

The ace is clearly one of the top pitchers available on the market and other teams have made it known they are going to aggressively pursue the star.

Add this to the report from MLB insider Jon Morosi that the Phillies and Nola "aren't close" to a reunion based on differences in compensation, then the smoke that the right-hander will be pitching for another team in 2024 seems like there's a fire starting to burn.

Now, Morosi gives an update about the New York Yankees who could become a major player in the Nola sweepstakes.

"Yankees are among the most active teams in the starting pitching market, and sources say they're showing early interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola, among others," he posted on social media.

With big spenders entering the market to sign Philadelphia's former ace, it seems much more likely that the Phillies will turn their attention in another direction to replace his production.

Philadelphia won't just bow out of these sweepstakes though.

There is mutual interest in a reunion between both parties.

However, there will be no hometown discount that Nola gives the Phillies. He wants to cash in during free agency this time around and feels like he has earned top-tier type of dollars.

As New York now enters the sweepstakes for the ace, this should drive up the asking price and could keep Philadelphia from re-signing their former No. 7 overall pick.