Aaron Nola’s long-term return to the Philadelphia Phillies on a seven-year, $172 million contract was the first major move of the MLB offseason. This occurred early in the offseason, demonstrating how crucial it was that they close this deal.
The general manager of the Atlanta Braves, Alex Anthopoulos, told Jeff Schultz of The Athletic that he wanted Nola this offseason. That demonstrated why it was critical that the Phillies complete this transaction as soon as possible.
“Aaron Nola, who recently re-signed with the Phillies, was our target. In addition, we have contacted clubs and asked about trades. We didn’t need to trade away key players from our roster for the starters who were moved, and one in particular,” the general manager informed Schultz.
Losing Nola to the Braves would have been even more disastrous for Philadelphia’s rotation than it would have been for them. The Phillies would have needed to locate another elite arm, which might not have been available, if Atlanta had been able to acquire the right-handed ace.
To be fair, Anthopoulos may have been using this as a clever ploy to make Philadelphia’s front office pay as much money as possible for a player in order to disadvantage them in other areas.
You should anticipate more instances like this as the Braves attempt to improve in ways akin to those of the Phillies. Both of these teams will be keeping an eye out for elite players, which means they will both be vying for the same players.
Philadelphia will keep searching for talent during the offseason.
Although they have performed admirably the past two seasons, neither World Series victory has come from them. They have more than enough to finish the job, especially with a team this talented.
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