Cardinals Have Interest in Phillies Free-Agent Pitcher
The Philadelphia Phillies have plenty to deal with once their postseason run is over, not the least of which is determining whether it will re-sign pitcher Aaron Nola, who is a free agent once the postseason is complete.
Nola is sure to have several other teams interested in him, and one is reportedly the St. Louis Cardinals.
Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nola is one of two free-agent starters the Cardinals have identified for pursuit this offseason, with the other being Minnesota’s Sonny Gray. He is set to pitch in Game 3 of the ALDS against Houston on Tuesday.
Nola will pitch Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta on Wednesday.
To many analysts the 31-year-old right-hander is one of the Top 10 free agents on the market.
Nola went 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA in the regular season, one during which he had some ups and down in his performance.
But he’s tracked well lately. He clinched Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series against Miami, as he threw seven innings of shutout baseball and allowed just three hits.
He had been effective in his last seven games, with a 2-1 record and a 4.02 ERA. He has struck out 42 and walked six in 40.1 innings.
In the postseason with Philadelphia he is 3-2 in six postseason starts.
Whether to re-sign Nola or let him test the market is one of the biggest decisions the Phillies face this offseason. He was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2014 and he made his MLB debut in 2015. He has a career record of 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA. That includes an All-Star Game berth and three Top 10 finishes in NL Cy Young voting.
Nola is finishing out a four-year, $45 million contract he signed during his arbitration seasons. The Phillies exercised their club option for 2023 and Nola is making $16 million.
