Is Cole Hamels Leaving Town?
Cole Hamels, of course, should never have to buy a drink in this town again. He was MVP of the 2008 World Series, remember, on a team that was packed with explosive talent. Many of those explosive players are still there — but they’re all a lot older now. The standings show that. So Cole Hamels may have to leave.
Sad, that.
Here’s what we know: He’s not going to Chicago:
The Cubs knew they had little chance of making a deal for Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels after putting in a waiver claim Wednesday.
To no one’s surprise, a deal could not be reached between the two organizations, and the Phillies pulled Hamels back from waivers Friday.
The Philadelphia Phillies are currently rumored to be aggressively scouting the Boston Red Sox. They have a ton of great prospects who have gone from untouchable to possibly moveable. These prospects could turn into Phillies ace Cole Hamels.
The Red Sox have plenty of prospects who could help the rebuild of the Phillies. They have Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts, who aren’t playing up to their potential. Despite their disappointing major league seasons, they still have a ton of value. They also have an extremely deep farm system. The Sox will have enough to make this trade happen.
The Phillies should not do such a deal, for several reasons.
First, and foremost, Hamels is the Phillies’ rock, one of the very few pieces they can confidently rebuild the team around. At 30, Hamels will still be in the prime of his career even if it takes a couple of years to get the Phils back in contention. Hamels is signed through 2018 with a team option for 2019.
The Phils — and all of MLB — have until the end of August to make a waiver-enabled trade.