These Phillies Free Agents Can Help Contract Hopes with Big Postseasons

The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to win a World Series for the first time since 2008, so their focus isn’t on free agency. But that doesn’t mean that certain players can’t help themselves when it comes to their contracts in 2024.

MLB.com outlined 13 players that will be free agents after the postseason that can help themselves with great performances in this postseason. Two of them happened to be Philadelphia Phillies.

They are players you would expect to be listed and both are pitchers — Aaron Nola and Craig Kimbrel.

Nola is the Phillies’ starting pitcher for Game 2 of the National League Division Series against Atlanta. Kimbrel has served as the Phillies’ closer this season.

Nola is coming off claiming the victory in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card series against the Miami Marlins. He threw seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out three. It's part of a surge he has experienced at the end of the regular season, when he threw at least six innings and gave up two or fewer runs in his last two starts.

Per MLB.com:

After stumbling through the first half of September (11 runs allowed in his first two September starts), Nola pitched well in his final two starts of the regular season and dominated with seven scoreless innings in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Marlins. If he can go on another October run, it could help him in his efforts to land the $200 million deal he was seeking last spring.

Kimbrel recorded one save in the NLWC series and wrapped up a regular season in which he went 8-6 with a 3.26 ERA and 23 saves.

He would enter the free agent market with 417 career saves in the regular season and at least eight career saves in the postseason, pending what he does in the remainder of the playoffs. That is experience that could fetch him a high asking price, per MLB.com:

At age 35, Kimbrel is one of the most experienced postseason relievers out there -- this marks his ninth trip to the playoffs -- and his October got off to a good start with a scoreless inning and a save in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Marlins.

The Phillies open the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.