Dombrowski: Phillies hope to retain Nola, extend Wheeler

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is focused on shoring up the club's starting pitching this offseason.

Dombrowski said Thursday that he hopes to keep impending free agent Aaron Nola with the franchise.

"We love him," Dombrowski said, according to Dave Uram of KYW Newsradio. "He's been tremendous for the franchise, he's pitched very well for a number of years. He's a Phillie. We hope to retain him."

Dombrowski also wants to sign right-hander Zack Wheeler to a contract extension, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Wheeler is entering the final season of his five-year contract in 2024.

Nola, 30, put together a strong postseason for the Phillies, posting a 2.35 ERA with 23 strikeouts across four starts.

Dombrowski said the club would focus on adding impact starting pitching in the offseason if it can't re-sign Nola.

"That would be our No. 1 area, we need to then replace him," Dombrowski said. "We need to be in a position where we have somebody else that would be a starting pitcher of quality in the rotation. So yes, it's either Aaron or somebody else."

Nola has spent his entire nine-season career with the Phillies. They selected him seventh overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. He owns a lifetime 90-71 record with a 3.72 ERA and 1,582 strikeouts across 1,422 innings.