5 way-too-early landing spots for Aaron Nola after Phillies extension talks end
By Seth Carlson
New York Mets
The Mets are a surprisingly good fit for Aaron Nola. Current co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are short-term fixes for a rotation that will eventually need a complete overhaul. Besides Kodai Senga and maybe David Peterson or Tylor Megill, New York lacks long-term assets in that area.
That’s where Aaron Nola makes sense.
Should the Mets find themselves losing the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes after the 2023 season, the 30-year-old Nola would immediately be able to anchor their future rotation alongside Senga. New York also lacks in the way of elite starting pitching prospects, so it’s not like they’ll find much help internally once Verlander and Scherzer leave (or retire), either.
And who says the Mets aren’t in line to extract some revenge on the Phillies after the latter has poached Zack Wheeler and Taijuan Walker in recent years?
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis’ rotation is not in great shape heading into 2023, let alone into the future. Beyond Jack Flaherty, who himself needs to recoup his former ace status, there’s a lot of solid but unspectacular in Miles Mikolas, Jordan Montgomery, Steven Matz and Jake Woodford. Adam Wainwright will also be retiring, leaving another hole in the Cardinals’ starting staff.
Therefore, Aaron Nola seems like a logical fit for St. Louis next winter.
Nola is the kind of ace-type the Cardinals sorely need, instead of patching holes with the Jon Lesters and Jose Quintanas of the world. Pairing Nola with new backstop Willson Contreras would also give St. Louis a solid foundation to build out the rest of its staff as they continue to be the strongest team in a weak division.