Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro may have been onto something. His trade demands for Cole Hamels were said to be "excessive" and "out of touch" with the market, but that no longer seems to be case.
The Phillies (21-34) are still among the worst clubs in the MLB, but Hamels is 5-4 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.107 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 12 starts (81 1/3 innings) so far this season. Rumors have linked him to various teams, including the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, but trade talks have subsided since the offseason.
These clubs (and others) have held off on making a deal for Hamels because Amaro wanted three top prospects in exchange for the left-hander and was not willing to cover a significant portion of his contract (he was owed $96 million through 2018 at the start of the season). However, a recent report suggested the Phillies are now open to covering more of his contract, which may entice those who are interested.
"Philly hasn't, however, backed off its demand for the kind of premier talent potential trade partners don't currently seem comfortable giving up," writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
And perhaps rightfully so, because Hamels has proven he can be a considerable asset to any club.
"In the last couple of days I've had some interesting conversations with executives about Cole Hamels," said ESPN Insider Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight Podcast. "They feel like the market for Hamels, who has bounced back from that slow start he had in April, is really crystallizing to a point where the Phillies should be able to get some good players in return because, a) he's been throwing well and he's a legit ace and b) the cost to acquire Hamels in terms of his contract is very well defined. Yes, you could wait until the fall to invest in a free agent like Johnny Cueto, but it's going to be for more money. There's a lot of upside for the Phillies, in theory, as they try to make a trade."
A number of established starting pitchers are slated to hit free agency after the season. Cueto, David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija and others are expected to land lucrative deals if/when they hit the open market. Price and Cueto (if his elbow stays healthy) could land deals north of $200 million after Max Scherzer did so this offseason with the Washington Nationals.
A trade for Hamels would save a club a lot of money compared to signing someone after the season. Yes, a team would have to surrender some valuable prospects to save millions of dollars (upwards of $100 million in terms of what Cueto and Price may sign for), but some may view that as worth it. Hamels also has a $20 million team option for the 2019 season, so if a team dealt for him at the deadline they could have him for four-plus years for just under $100 million.
Right now, it looks like a good deal.
"Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure chalked up the increase to Hamels' timing and delivery," writes Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "When everything is working smoothly, an uptick in velocity tends to happen. It took Hamels a handful of starts this season before he seemed as if he was in a groove.
"Through 11 starts, Hamels induced swings and misses on 30.45 percent of his change-ups. His patented pitch proves more effective with sharper fastball command, which was somewhat lacking earlier in the season."
Hamels is expected to be a valuable commodity at the deadline for teams looking to contend in 2015 and beyond.