MLB rumors: Verdugo trade talk, Yankees telegraph targets, Aaron Nola, more

Of course, the Yankees aren't the only team that has plenty of questions about pitching heading into the winter. That list also includes the Dodgers, who saw their pitching shortcomings help short-circuit their hopes of reaching the World Series in a stunning sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The hope for better pitching in Los Angeles in 2023 would be greatly boosted if the Dodgers could land Aaron Nola this offseason, and that's what Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) is predicting will happen. In his recent article, Bowden writes as part of his prediction, "Aaron Nola signs a five-year, $125 million deal with the Dodgers about 24 hours after they learn that they’ve lost out on Ohtani.”

If you're a Dodgers fan, this is definitely a good news-bad news scenario as Bowden predicts that Ohtani will end up with the Texas Rangers rather than staying in L.A. with either the Angels or Dodgers. If that scenario were to come true, the Dodgers would likely become very aggressive in the free agent market, leading them to land Nola and other key pieces in what they feel needs to happen to actually reach the Fall Classic again.

Nola would certainly fit into L.A.'s recent philosophy of landing the best possible players for their roster. Now it's a matter of how many of these predictions will come true.