Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Says Not Extending Nola Would Be 'Foolish'
One of the most pressing questions for the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the 2023 MLB season will be how they handle starting pitcher Aaron Nola's situation.
Nola, who is a bonafide ace in the rotation, will be a free agent at the conclusion of the upcoming season. The LSU-product has spent his entire professional career with the Phillies and has been a stalwart in the rotation. A times, Nola has put up Cy Young-caliber stretches and has proven himself in some of the most needed times in Philadelphia.
Down the stretch last season, Nola put up otherworldly numbers in some of his biggest performances to date. Nola was on the mound when the Phillies clinched their first postseason berth in over a decade after defeating the Houston Astros in the penultimate game of the season. Nola helped propel Philadelphia past the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round. Nola stepped up in a huge way against the Atlanta Braves and helped punch their ticket to the National League Championship Series.
In those two postseason games, Nola pitched 12.2 innings of scoreless baseball. It was a defining moment of his career.
Now, his time in Philadelphia is in question. An extension hasn't been offered and Spring Training is rapidly approaching. The spring is a good time to get deals done as both parties are in the same geographical area and the environment can be conducive for easier communication.
It can also present a distraction ahead of the regular season.
However, the Phillies front office is not lost on the fact that Nola is a homegrown player with a ton of talent. He won't last long on the open market and the best path forward for Philadelphia is an extension.
At the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association dinner Phillies general manager Sam Fuld spoke briefly about Nola.
“I think there’s been some loose dialogue, not necessarily just now, but really over an extended period of time,” said Fuld.
“I mean, we love Aaron,” Fuld continued. “Obviously, he was a huge part of our run to the World Series, of course. But I think he’s been a big part of our culture and he’s really been a rock in that rotation. So I think it’s foolish not to try to keep a guy like that in your organization for as long as possible.”
Getting Nola signed to an extension has to be a priority for Philadelphia's head shed. As the chatter continues to grow and the noise increases, an extension for Nola seems to be gaining some traction.
At this point it just feels like a matter of "when" not "if."
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