Aaron Nola's no-hitter flirt should have these 3 teams dreaming of a trade
Aaron Nola was a home run from Nick Maton away from history. A three-run home run by the former Philadelphia Phillies infielder broke up a Nola no-hitter in the top of the seventh inning. Even if he isn’t joining the history books, Nola did the Phillies a big favor even if they end up as sellers.
The Phillies have yet to set themselves up as a true contender this year. Nola’s own poor performance is one of the reasons for it. He came into the start with a 4-4 record and 4.70 ERA. Monday’s start against the Detroit Tigers is hopefully, for the sake of Philadelphia, the start of something new.
Nola is the most obvious trade piece for the Phillies. It’s these three teams who could use him most.
1) Phillies trade destination for Aaron Nola: Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have snuck up on the rest of the National League. They’re looking like one of the best in baseball and worthy challengers for the National League West title. They’ve done it with ace Zac Gallen and his cohort Merrill Kelly leading the rotation. The rest of their starters haven’t been all that great. They could use Nola, an experienced starter, as their number three.
Nola is exactly what the Diamondbacks should be looking to acquire at this year’s trade deadline. Luckily for the Phillies, the Diamondbacks have one of the better farm systems in baseball. They can afford to give up several pieces or even one very good one.
The Phillies wouldn’t expect to get a player like Druw Jones in return for Nola. None of their three top 100 prospects should be on the table for a short-term rental.
Arizona still has a couple of other pieces who could be fits for the Philadelphia farm system. Their top 10 includes multiple pitchers and corner infielders. We’ll all be crossing our fingers and hoping Nola stays put in Philadelphia at least through the rest of the season. It comes down to selling, the Diamondbacks might be the team in need of him most. They happen to have a couple of major leaguers who have graduated from prospect level the Phillies could seek to add as reclamation projects. The options are unlimited.
2) Phillies trade destination for Aaron Nola: Baltimore Orioles
Nola wouldn’t have to travel nearly as far to land with the Baltimore Orioles. In fact, he could just drive there. The Orioles are another one of those teams like the Diamondbacks who showed a lot of promise in 2022 and then had a semi-quiet offseason. Other than signing former Phillies starter Kyle Gibson, the Orioles didn’t do much of anything. They’re relying on their young offense to lead them to victory.
Pitching is something the Orioles will need in order to do more than make a guest appearance in the postseason. Phillies fans who watched through last year’s postseason know as well as anyone how important it is to have starting pitching you can trust.
The Orioles also have young players on the MLB roster as well as in the minor leagues they could package together for Nola. They have 8 players currently in the top 100 according to MLB.com. Surely they can spare one of them. How does third baseman and 99th ranked prospect Coby Mayo sound?
The Orioles appear to have more highly-rated prospects than the Diamondbacks. A trade with them would require the Phillies to land at least one of those top 100 guys. They’ve been buyers in recent summers and subtracted far too much from their farm. Some failed draft picks along the way as well have given them a barren minor league system. They cannot afford to miss in a trade involving Nola.
3) Phillies trade destination for Aaron Nola: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers never seem to care much about trading away prospects for a needed MLB addition. They, too, still have one of the better farm systems despite constantly trading and promoting players. How do they do it? Should the Phillies feel guilty about feeding the beast?
In part because of the failures of Noah Syndergaard, the Dodgers should be in the market for a starting pitcher upgrade. Nola can fall back and be a fourth or fifth starter on their ball club. The worst thing they can do is expect Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, and others to be healthy for the postseason. Dustin May has already been placed on the 60-day IL. Walker Buehler is recovering from Tommy John Surgery and no guarantee to return this season.
The Dodgers need to be in the market for a true innings eater with the stuff to carry them far. If nothing else, Nola has proven during his career he’s a guy you can count on to go six or seven innings on a regular basis. Purely a rental for them upon the finalization of the transaction, he’s a guy they should have in mind to extend or re-sign considering the status of Kershaw and Urias who hit the open market. Starting the relationship now could go a long way toward continuing it. At the very least, Nola can help them win in 2023.
Phillies fans can remain optimistic about Nola sticking around for another magical season with a happier ending. It was on June 3, 2022, when Joe Girardi was fired and the team took off. They haven’t lost a game since the anniversary passed this weekend. So while teams may be putting together their best trade offers for Nola, the Phillies don’t have to swipe right on any of them.
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