The St. Louis Cardinals' season ended on Oct. 1, and they are officially in offseason mode. The team was one of the big sellers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, opting to replenish the farm system by trading away some of their impending free agents. The team has said they are looking to add this offseason, specifically for their starting rotation, which is now pretty depleted.
One option for the Cardinals may be off the table.
Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola is set to become an unrestricted free agent once the World Series concludes. Nola was asked about possibly re-signing with the Phillies this offseason, and the pitcher responded by saying, "Yeah, I hope so. I really do."
Nola's full quote can be viewed below, courtesy of Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Aaron Nola may not be an option for the Cardinals after all
There are a lot of quality starting pitchers available in free agency this winter. But Nola was easily among the best options and the most consistent since his arrival in the majors in 2015. But as he says above, he really hopes to remain with the Phillies.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that Nola and the Phillies broke off contract talks last winter after they couldn't reach an agreement. Nola was looking for an eight-year contract worth over $200 million, while the Phillies were looking to sign him to a four or five-year deal. Nightengale ended by saying that if Nola continued to pitch well this postseason, then "he just might get that payday from someone else."
Things can always change in the offseason during negotiations. Either the two sides can reach an agreement, or they decide that parting ways would be the best option. It will be worth monitoring this offseason for Phillies and Cardinals fans.
This regular season, Nola recorded a 4.46 ERA, a 1.151 WHIP, a 12-9 win-loss record, 202 strikeouts, and 45 walks in 193.2 innings (32 starts). In his career, Nola recorded a 3.72 ERA, a 1.129 WHIP, a 90-71 win-loss record, 1,582 strikeouts, and 371 walks in 1,422 innings (235 starts).
The Cardinals have three openings in their starting rotation. At the trade deadline, they moved Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers and Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles. Veteran Adam Wainwright has officially retired from baseball once St. Louis' regular season ended. So, the rotation is a glaring area of need for the Cardinals.
Luckily for the Cardinals, there are still plenty of good starting pitchers available, such as Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres, Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins, and Eduardo Rodriguez of the Detroit Tigers (if he opts out of his current contract). Or, they could bring back one of Montgomery or Flaherty as well.
It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals starting rotation will look like heading into Opening Day next year. Will Nola be part of it? From the sounds of it, he would like to stay in Philadelphia. Of course, plans can change depending on negotiations.
