Last week it was reported Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro was in "staredowns" with four teams regarding a Cole Hamels trade. Amaro spoke on Tuesday and now has a different take on the whole situation.
Jake Kaplan of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke with Amaro before the annual winter banquet hosted by the team's Double-A affiliate, the Reading Fightin Phils. Numerous teams have inquired about Hamels, who has four years and $100 million remaining on his current contract, since the 2014 trade deadline because it's been fairly clear the Phillies are moving toward a rebuilding period. However, Amaro has been asking for three top prospects in exchange for the left-hander, which has many hesitant to strike a deal.
Perhaps the impasse in trade talks now has Amaro thinking a bit differently as spring training gets closer.
"I think Cole Hamels is going to be in our uniform [next season], frankly," he said via Kaplan. "I don't really foresee him being moved. It is possible because we're literally keeping our minds and eyes and ears open on every player that we have on our roster."
It's been said the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres are the front-runners for Hamels, with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays still maintaining contact with Philadelphia about a trade. The Texas Rangers were also believed to be in serious talks with the Phillies, but due to a money issue in a potential Hamels deal on Monday, they instead acquired starter Yovani Gallardo from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Amaro added that he thinks the team's ownership would rather keep Hamels than not, so there's a lot of conflicting ideology here. Hamels previously reiterated he prefers to remain with the team because it's where he started his career, but he understands that baseball is a business and the Phillies will eventually have to do what's best for them. With that being said, he made it known if a trade were to occur he would want to be dealt to a club in the Midwest or on the West Coast because his wife's family is from St. Louis and his family is from San Diego.
In the event they can't find a trade partner for Hamels, is it possible the team will instead look to get value for left-hander Cliff Lee if returns to health and form in 2015? Amaro also told Kaplan that the 36-year-old has "already thrown off a mound three or four times" this offseason as he recovers from a flexor pronator strain that limited him to 13 starts in 2014. Lee is set to earn $25 million in 2015 and has a $27.5 million vesting option for 2016 that kicks in if he throws at least 200 innings in 2015. The option also carries a $12.5 million buyout.
Lee was out of action from May 19 until July 21 and then returned to make three starts, during which he went 0-1 with a 6.08 ERA. He was pulled after just 2 2/3 innings against the Washington Nationals on July 31 and was shut down for the remainder of the season due to discomfort in his elbow. Up until that day a number of teams sent scouts to his previous two starts to see if his health was good enough to trade for him.
But if Lee comes back strong in 2015 and the Phillies don't trade Hamels, is it possible a contender calls the Phillies and offers them a top prospect for Lee? Amaro could be holding out for this possibility, but that would be taking a huge gamble on the left-hander's health. However, Lee was an All-Star just two seasons ago after going 14-8 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 31 starts (222 2/3 innings) with the team.
If he returns to the Cliff Lee of old, it's not out of the question that a big market contender looks to acquire him to make a deep postseason run.
