As the MLB trade deadline nears, Philadelphia Phillies left-handed ace Cole Hamels is looking like the most likely big arm to be moved. According to reports a number of teams are in the mix to acquire Hamels, and he's more likely to get traded than David Price of the Detroit Tigers, or Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds.
Hamels is 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP this season; those are all increases from a year ago, but they have been inflated by his last two starts, in which Hamels pitched a combined 6.1 innings and surrendered 14 earned runs. Without those two poor outings, Hamels' ERA drops all the way to 3.02.
Price and Cueto have both been superior to Hamels all season, but Hamels is more desirable because of his contract situation. He is signed through 2018 at $22.5 million per season, and there's also a 2019 option for $20 million. That's not chump change, but it's a better deal than the $200 million-plus contracts Price and Cueto are projected to sign this offseason.
Both Price and Cueto are free agents at season's end, so they would be rentals while Hamels would become an anchor in the rotation for his new team for three more seasons after this one. The Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are all reportedly vying for the southpaw, and have farm systems well-stocked enough to make a trade happen.
Of course, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro still has the option of hanging on to Hamels, and won't trade him unless he gets the pile of young players he wants.
"This isn't do-or-die for us," Amaro told ESPN.com. "In the end, it's about, 'What is the return?' and, 'Is this the right return?' If it is, we'll move forward. And if it's not we won't."
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