Heading into the 2015 season, the San Diego Padres have a starting rotation full of right-handed pitchers: Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Odrisamer Despaigne, Brandon Morrow and Josh Johnson.
They have left-hander Robbie Erlin, but he only pitched 13 games (11 starts) in 2014 and went 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. He's 24 years old, so he has a chance to improve this offseason and in spring training, but with the Padres new "win-now" philosophy emulated by their transactions this offseason it doesn't look like he'll be in the team's plans when the year begins.
San Diego gave incentive-laden deals to both Morrow and Johnson, so it's likely they are the front-runners to land the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Casey Kelly, Cory Luebke, Alex Torres and Matt Wisler are also candidates to compete for the final spot, but that still doesn't give them an established left-hander. This current situation only further suggests the Padres are working on a deal for Philadelphia Phillies' ace Cole Hamels.
About a week ago it was reported the Padres spoke with the Phillies about such a trade and it makes perfect sense. San Diego is lacking an ace (and a lefty) in their starting rotation; they've built themselves to contend for next season and need more players with postseason experience; the Phillies are looking to rebuild and don't need to carry Hamels for four more years and $96 million; Hamels is from San Diego and said he would prefer a trade to the West Coast or the Midwest because that's where his family is located and; the left-hander said a team's desire to win is the most important factor for him if he were to be traded.
San Diego managed to keep their top prospects after the trades for Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Justin Upton, Derek Norris and Will Middlebrooks, which lead many to believe the team has been setting itself up for a Hamels trade this entire time. Catcher Austin Hedges, starter Matt Wisler, outfielder Hunter Renfroe and outfielder Rymer Liriano remain with the organization and could potentially be included in a deal for Hamels. Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro said he was looking for three top prospects in exchange for Hamels, and the Padres can afford to part with one or more of these prospects since they've filled their positions for years to come (especially if Upton signs an extension before spring training).
This could be one of the final big transactions of the offseason, so many will be keeping an eye on it until someone declares it will not happen.
