Phillies Free Agent Targets if They Lose Aaron Nola

The Philadelphia Phillies will be in a fight for the top Wild Card spot during the final two weeks of the regular season. After their division rival Atlanta Braves won the NL East, the only way to make the playoffs will be through the Wild Card.

Their ace Aaron Nola will play a huge part in ensuring they make the postseason in consecutive years.

But as he takes the mound for the Phillies this season, it could also be the last time that he puts on the Philadelphia jersey.

Nola will hit free agency when the 2023 season ends. It's the second time that he could potentially hit the market, the first being in 2019 before he ultimately signed a four-year, $45 million contract to stay with the Phillies.

Before this season, Philadelphia reportedly offered Nola over $100 million, which was declined by the ace.

With the possibility that they might lose the right hander this offseason, here are free agent starting pitchers that the Phillies could be interested in signing.

Sonny Gray could be a substantially cheaper option.

The 33-year-old is having a great season with an ERA of 2.69, but his age and lack of high strikeout numbers could keep his value down.

The righty has been a good pitcher since 2019, playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark with the Cincinnati Reds and now with the Minnesota Twins. His highest ERA during this time was a 4.19. Nola's this season is 4.64.

Another option could be Eduardo Rodriguez.

He's had his best season as a starter this year with the Detroit Tigers, recording an 11-8 record with a career low 3.32 ERA.

The lefty also wants to pitch only for an east coast team so he can stay closer to family according to reports.

Philadelphia could use this as a selling point to get Rodriguez to join their team.

If Marcus Stroman opts-out of his player option to enter free agency, he would be a high caliber starter who's also available.

The 32-year-old has pitched in the division before when he was with the New York Mets for one-and-a-half seasons. He was one of the best pitchers in the league to start 2023 with the Chicago Cubs, before an injury sidelined him and derailed his year.

Overall, the market isn't full of high-end available free agent starters to replace Nola.

If the Phillies' aren't able to reach a deal with their ace, these players could be potential targets to replace his production.