The last time Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro publicly spoke about the state of a potential Cole Hamels trade, he said it was probable the left-hander would be starting for the Phils on Opening Day. However, a recent report suggests there's a possibility that changes.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, Amaro "covets" San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner. The Padres have long been linked to Hamels because they're in need of an ace - especially a left-hander - to lead their rotation, and Hamels is from San Diego, which is where he would prefer to be traded. Hamels also mentioned he wants the potential recipient of his services to have a great willingness to win, which Padres general manager A.J. Preller has exhibited this offseason.
Earlier in the offseason the Texas Rangers expressed interest in Cashner, but nothing ever came out of it. It's unknown if the Padres would be willing to part ways with the 28-year-old right-hander, especially after his promising campaigns in 2013 and 2014. In his last 50 games (45 starts) with the team, Cashner owns a 15-16 record but has maintained a 2.87 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. However, the right-hander missed two months this past season as he dealt with soreness in his throwing shoulder, and this could be the moment the Padres trade him to avoid any future injury woes.
They certainly could afford to do so since their starting rotation consists of a number of solid arms such as Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy and Odrisamer Despaigne. San Diego also added veterans Josh Johnson and Brandon Morrow to incentive-laden one-year deals and have prospect starter Matt Wilser beginning the 2015 season at Triple-A El Paso. Cashner would be a big loss, but let's face it - the addition of Hamels would put them over the edge in the NL West. Hamels isn't even three full years older than Cashner, who has made only 51 starts in 143 career games over the past five seasons.
While Hamels is owed a maximum of $120 million over the next five seasons (and a minimum of $100 million over the next four), Cashner is only under club control for two more seasons. The Padres can do some damage if they guarantee themselves four years of Hamels.
"Cashner will make $4.05 million this season before hitting free agency after the 2016 campaign, which means he could be gone by the time Philadelphia could potentially contend again," writes Rotoworld. "They would figure to ask for Hunter Renfroe or Austin Hedges in addition to Cashner."
The original asking price for Hamels was set at three top propects - one that can contribute immediately and two more for the future. If Amaro's interest in Cashner is legitimate, that could all change.
