MLB Rumors: Phillies FA Aaron Nola Drawing Interest from Braves, Cardinals, More

Veteran starting pitcher Aaron Nola is entering free agency for the first time, and he's reportedly drawing interest from a pair of National League teams hoping to pry him away from the Philadelphia Phillies.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals are "among teams showing early interest" in Nola this offseason.

The Phillies made Nola a qualifying offer worth $20.3 million for the 2024 season, and he has until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to decide whether he will accept it. The expectation is that he will reject it in hopes of securing a multiyear deal, and Philadelphia will receive a compensatory draft pick if he chooses to sign with another team.

"We love him," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said recently. "He's been tremendous for the franchise. He's pitched very well for a number of years. He's a Phillie. We hope to retain him, but if we don't to me that would be our No. 1 area – we would need to replace him. We need to be in position where we have somebody else that will be a starting pitcher of quality in the rotation. So, yes, it's either Aaron or somebody else."

While Atlanta has been Nola's biggest rival for his nine major league seasons in Philadelphia, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted on Monday that he is "perhaps the most intriguing fit" for the Braves this offseason. The 30-year-old is "close" with Braves pitching coach Rich Kranitz, who served as bullpen coach with the Phillies in 2016 and 2017 before being elevated to pitching coach in 2018.

Nola is coming off a down year this past season, finishing with a 12-9 record, a 4.46 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 202 strikeouts in 193.2 innings of work. Still, he is capable of being a reliable starter in the right situation and likely will be one of the most coveted pitchers on the market this winter.