Cole Hamels trade rumors are nothing new, but the Philadelphia Phillies may have erred. A Hamels trade needed to have already been made by the Phillies, especially with how well he pitched on Sunday, July 19. A report from FOX Sports on Saturday, July 18, confirmed that the Los Angeles Dodgers might have a lot of interest in acquiring him. The team needs to add a starting pitcher that will be with the team long-term, and the fear is that Zack Greinke may decide to test free agency. This made Hamels a very attractive option for the Dodgers. That might have changed a bit.
Hamels took the mound against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, knowing that there were a number of scouts in the stands waiting to see how he looked. It was certainly a great opportunity to show potential teams that he is worth the huge contract that he signed with the Phillies. It didn’t go well, as Hamels only lasted three innings against a hampered Marlins team that has been playing without Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon. He allowed five runs on eight hits, striking out just one batter before getting pulled.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , recent Cole Hamels trade rumors indicated he would consider playing for any team other than the Philadelphia Phillies. It opened up the trade market quite a bit, allowing Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro to talk to quite a few new teams to strike up a deal. It’s becoming clear that Amaro may have again waited too long, because the outing on Sunday isn’t going to cause opposing teams to improve trade offers. Instead, Hamels may be losing value as the deadline approaches.
After getting roughed up by the Dodgers, Hamels has a 3.91 ERA over his 19 starts and 119 2/3 innings of work this year. It’s not the 2015 campaign that he wanted to have, but some MLB analysts have hypothesized that he may have simply given up on the team. It’s possible he has lost the motivation to pitch for a last place team that has been vocally trying to trade him for more than a year. It would be tough for anyone to perform under those circumstances.
Hamels still has three guaranteed years left on his contract ($23.5 million in salary each season) and a vested option of $24 million for the 2019 MLB season. Should he pitch 400 innings combined over 2017 and 2018, it also becomes guaranteed. That salary could be what has slowed down the Cole Hamels trade rumors, but the front office might soon be desperate to part with the highly-paid veteran if he continues to struggle. Did Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro wait too long to get anything of real value in return though?
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