All offseason, rumors have swirled regarding the availability of Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels. He was considered to be a possible alternative for teams that missed out on or could not afford Max Scherzer, James Shields, and Jon Lester. Several teams were rumored as possible trade partners for Philadelphia.
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However, after weeks of talks, trades, and free agent negotiations, not only does it appear that there is still no team nearing a trade for Hamels, but Scherzer and Shields also do not have new teams yet. That means that three of the best starting pitchers that were available for teams that need pitching help have not attracted the frenzy of attention that everyone expected.
For Scherzer and Shields, the reasons are likely a result of the high asking price and the questions about contract length. For Hamels, however, the problem may be originating in the Phillies' front office. It was always a given that Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. would not simply give his best pitcher (and possibly best player) away, but it seems that his asking price may be too high.
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According to Bleacher Report, the team is looking to get young players with great potential in return for Hamels, but they may be asking for as many as three top prospects, which is a hefty price tag for any player.
"There's no way that Ruben's going to just give away a player," said manager Ryne Sandberg. "I mean, we'd have to be wowed to give up a guy like Cole Hamels, which would be a wow that would help us with the process and go in the direction that we want to go."
Hamels has four years remaining on his contract at $23.5 million per season, which makes him somewhat of a bargain for a top-tier starter, but in order to give up such a haul for Hamels, any suitor would have to be convinced that Hamels will keep pitching at the same level for the next several seasons.
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