Breaking News: The Phillies are almost certain to sign three free agents to replace Nola.

Three Free Agents In Play if Philadelphia Phillies Can’t Retain Nola
The Philadelphia Phillies have their eye on three free-agent pitchers if their effort to keep Aaron Nola fails.

The Philadelphia Phillies want to keep pitcher Aaron Nola in free agency. But what if they can’t?

The Phillies have options, writes the New York Post.

Should the Phillies swing and miss on Nola, three pitches could be on the Phillies’ radar — San Diego’s Blake Snell, Minnesota’s Sonny Gray and Detroit’s Eduardo Rodriguez.

Snell, like Nola, turned down his qualifying offer to hit free agency. Unlike Nola, Snell has a Cy Young. In fact, he has two, as he won his second one earlier this week and is now one of seven pitchers with a Cy Young in each league.

Snell won nearly every first-place vote for the 2023 NL Cy Young Award after he went 14-9 with a MLB-best 2.25 ERA. It’s the second time he’s led the Majors in ERA.

He also did it in 2018, when he went 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays. He won the American League Cy Young that season.

He might be the top backup option, but with two Cy Youngs his contract demands could be just as significant as Nola’s, if not bigger.

Gray also turned down his qualifying offer and was a Cy Young finalist this season in the American League. In 2023, in helping the Twins win the AL Central, he went 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. He allowed an MLB-low 0.4 home runs per nine innings.

At 33, he might not net a long-term deal. But with a 98-85 career record with a 3.47 ERA, including 1,521 strikeouts and 544 walks in 1,571 innings pitched, he could net a significant two- or three-year deal with options.

Rodriguez finished 2023 with a 13-9 record and a 3.30 ERA. Aside from an injury shortened 2022, in which he went 5-5, he’s been a consistent starter for the Tigers, as he’s won at least 13 games in four of his last five full seasons, dating back to 2018.

He turned down a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers at midseason in an effort not to uproot his family. But, now, he’s ready to explore free agency.