HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 28: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies, MLB rumors (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
With MLB Spring Training underway, the likes of Aaron Nola, Manny Machado and Shohei Ohtani are extension candidates, though not all will sign.
With several high-profile players set to hit MLB free agency next winter, the time is now to discuss a contract extension. If those talks fail, odds are said player will test their value on the market.
Organizations learned a lot about the free-agent market this offseason. Mainly, it is booming, and the price is only going up for star talents. While Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Jacob deGrom and more are incredibly talented, the next two winters arguably possess even greater names — such as Manny Machado, Shohei Ohtani and eventually Juan Soto.
Extensions have already become a focus for competitive teams this spring, as they’d prefer to avoid a bidding war altogether. In this article, we’ll focus on the likes of Machado, Ohtani and Aaron Nola.
Namely — will they sign an extension this spring? And if not, where can we expect them to land?
MLB rumors: Will the Phillies extend Aaron Nola?
Aaron Nola set his own deadline for a contract extension with the Phillies, and it’s when most players of his ilk stop playing games to focus on the task at hand — Opening Day. March 30 is the last day Nola will consider signing a contract extension. After that, he’ll leave matters for his representatives to discuss after the season.
Nola is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and forms an elite two-headed monster atop the Phils rotation with Zack Wheeler. Losing him, a homegrown product who has developed into a Cy Young candidate, would be devastating. The only way out of this for Dave Dombrowski is to pay Nola what’s he worth, and the two sides likely disagree on that number.
Nola isn’t sure when an extension would happen, and it’s not where his focus is:
“I don’t know,” Nola said, per The Athletic. “I guess we’ll see. My reps are handling everything right now. I’m just focused on keeping my body healthy. Figuring out this pitch clock. That’s where my focus is, to be honest with you.”
Taking a wait-and-see approach could come back to haunt Philadelphia, especially if they want to keep their starting rotation as a strength beyond this season.