Phillies' left-hander Cole Hamels was a guest on MLB Network Radio over the weekend and addressed the trade rumors surrounding him. He wants to stay in Philadelphia, yet he wants to pitch for a contender. Where will he be in 2015?
Hamels is one of the most durable and talented starters in the MLB, and with a guaranteed four years and $100 million remaining on his contract, he has become a hot trade target. The Phillies finished with a 73-89 record, which was good for last in the NL East division, and with an aging roster they clearly need to do some work to improve for the future. Hamels is their strongest trade piece that can likely yield them a number of talent prospects.
The left-hander expressed over the weekend that if a trade were to get closer he would take into account two factors: geographic location and the potential trade partner's desire to win. Hamels has a lot of control to determine where he might end up if the Phillies decide to trade him, so he'll likely be picky with his future destination. He told MLB Network Radio that his family is from the West Coast and his wife's family is from the Midwest and would prefer teams in those locations because of his children.
"As kids get older you want them to be able to see their family," Hamels said. "You tend to gravitate towards what you're used to and what you grew up with."
However Hamels also added another interesting preference:
"Whenever you're in the postseason, that's what you play the game for. You're playing for the end of October, not the end of September ... for whatever city is going after winning I think that could definitely change every sort of perspective and every desire because that trumps almost anything."
Well, the West Coast teams that are reportedly going after Hamels include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. The only Midwest team includes the Chicago Cubs, while the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are among the others involved. A number of these clubs have put themselves in a position to contend in 2015 and beyond, so most of the destinations might entice Hamels. However, the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs would seem to be his top choices because they fit the location as well as the "winning" preference.
But let's not forget about where Hamels has lived for nearly the past decade. He has a house in Philadelphia, it's where his kids go to school and he and his family "absolutely love" the area. He was drafted by the Phillies in the first round back in 2002 and helped the team to a World Series victory in 2008 when he won MVP of the series as well as the NLCS. The left-hander spoke with CSN Philly on Monday and said:
"This has been a wonderful organization to be a part of and it's an organization that I want to be a part of for the entire career that you hopefully envision. But I do understand that they have to make tough decisions. And this is where I would like to be and this is where I've enjoyed all the best moments of baseball, so it's up to them and I understand it completely and I will have no hard feelings with whatever goes on."
General manager Ruben Amaro has a number of onerous decisions to make this offseason, the first of which just came with shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Is he bound to face another predicament with Hamels?
