Atlanta Braves fans are well aware that, with this front office, the deals that get done are usually the ones we don't hear about until it happens. However, the news that the Braves are interested in Aaron Nola shouldn't come as a surprise. Nola is the best fit for a rotation with a lot of question marks after their first two pitchers.
Max Fried and Spencer Strider are great, but can you count on an aging Charlie Morton or Bryce Elder who faded down the stretch?
The Atlanta Braves need a reliable innings-eater in the middle of the rotation and there is no better fit than Aaron Nola
Sources: Braves and Cardinals among teams showing early interest in free agent RHP Aaron Nola. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 13, 2023
Nola is a perfect fit both in the type of player that he is and the fact it robs Philly. Clearly, the National League East runs through Atlanta in the regular season. However, in each of the last two seasons, the Phillies have owned Atlanta in the postseason, plain and simple. It is frustrating for Braves fans to be the superior team by such a wide margin for months, only to shrink in back-to-back seasons in the biggest moment.
Signing Aaron Nola is both about adding a perfect fit to your rotation and taking away a key piece that has helped beat you each of the past two seasons. With a reinforced lineup, Atlanta fans feel much different about a postseason series against Philly if it is Fried, Nola, and Strider opening the series.
A move like this shifts things back in Atlanta's favor and gives more support to a lineup that has gone cold each of the past two postseasons. The St. Louis Cardinals' interest makes sense as well for a team that should have one of the busier offseasons.
For the Braves, this could also be about driving up the price, hoping that Nola lands outside the division or costs the Phillies more than it should. Regardless of the reasoning, Nola is a clear fit for the Braves and is a player to keep a close eye on over the next days of the offseason.