Although Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro said Cole Hamels will probably be back with the team in 2015, there's still a possibility the left-hander gets dealt. One source has provided specifically what the organization is looking for in return for Hamels.
According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies want "one prospect who could make a swift impact, and others for the future." Throughout the offseason the consensus for Philadelphia's demands were "three top prospects," which many executives expressed after conversations with Amaro. It's clear why many would be hesitant to pull the trigger, but there's still a possibility the team trades him at some point before this year's deadline because of what he can bring to a contending club.
Following Amaro's comments about how the left-hander will likely be with the team in 2015, we wrote a piece about the team's possible logic behind not trading Hamels. It's a win-win for the Phillies because with Hamels they have an ace that gives them a great chance to win games as they work through a period of rebuilding, and if they trade him they can expedite that rebuilding process by adding young talent. However, Rosenthal proposes an even stronger case for the former:
"One reason the Phillies may keep Hamels: If [Cliff] Lee is healthy and his [2016] option vests, Philadelphia would have two elites starters through at least 2016 and they could sign another starter out of a deep free agent class next winter (David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, etc.) and ramp back up quickly."
While that likely remains a long-term option for the team, Amaro also said, "we're literally keeping our minds and eyes and ears open on every player that we have on our roster. That said, [Hamels] is one of the best pitchers in baseball. And so, if we were to move him, we're going to have to get some of the best prospects in baseball back."
Those prospect demands put the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox at the front of the race for Hamels, if anything were to go down. With catcher Austin Hedges, pitcher Matt Wisler and outfielder Hunter Renfroe atop the Padres' farm system, the two sides could easily make a deal involving those players, but it's unclear how willing general manager A.J. Preller is to part ways with that much young talent. As for Boston, they've said they're not going to trade outfielder/second baseman Mookie Betts or catcher Blake Swihart, and Philadelphia wants one of the two. Additionally, general manager Ben Cherington came out yesterday and said the team is "focused on the guys we have now," perhaps putting trade speculation to rest.
So while it's clear what the Phillies want for Hamels, they certainly seem prepared to move forward with him in 2015. If not, look for the aforementioned clubs to possibly provide the talent the Phillies want.
