The Philadelphia Phillies had to demote their rookie pitcher back to Triple-A when the Andrew Painter dilemma reached a breaking point in June. Alan Rangel, who had performed admirably in three bulk outings, was elevated to replace him. Nevertheless, Painter’s difficulties severely reduced the team’s already inadequate rotation depth.
Naturally, it doesn’t help that Taijuan Walker pitched his way out of Philadelphia, and it’s not encouraging that they didn’t try to replace Ranger Suárez when he became a free agent. Until Painter and Gage Wood succeed at the Major League Baseball level, pitching depth has been and will remain a problem for this team.
But sturdy Aaron Nola poses a greater threat to this team’s weak depth chart than Painter, Rangel, or any other rookie arm.
Nola had earned a career by alternating between All-Star-caliber years and subpar performances, so there was always a chance he wouldn’t live up to his enormous seven-year contract. Aside from his track record of exceptional durability, he was thirty years old when he wrote this.
Regretfully, the decline has been more severe than anyone could have predicted. His 4.46 xERA and 5.02 FIP are both career lows, yet he is now working with an ERA above six for the second year in a row. For the first time in a full season since 2015 (his rookie debut), he failed to reach 100 innings in 2025, despite his renowned dependability.
This season, health hasn’t been as much of an issue, but the performance can’t be disregarded. Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo are now the Phillies’ three reliable starters, but they need at least one more in order to make a deep playoff run.
Nola’s contract is enormous and practically unmovable, which is the issue. Additionally, there isn’t really anyone in the organization right now who can take Painter’s place since he needs time to figure things out in Triple-A.
It is also more challenging to increase the rotation through trade because of Nola and Painter’s troubles. The team’s biggest asset, top pitching prospect Gage Wood, is too crucial to their future given the absence of upper-minors pitching depth, and there are more pressing needs on the roster (please add a right-handed hitting outfielder).
The Aaron Nola paradox is the result. Although he is too costly to relocate, the front office has no practical way to upgrade due to his lack of output. To put it another way, the Phillies are stuck.
