Although the market for Cole Hamels has quieted down because of the Phillies' demands for the left-hander, a number of teams are still interested and have been in contact with Philadelphia. General manager Ruben Amaro spoke on Wednesday about his discussions with other clubs.
According to Jim Salibury of CSN Philly, eight teams have "kicked the tires" on Hamels and four "real" offers have been made to the Phillies. We're not sure what "real" constitutes as because Amaro has declined every single offer made to the team this offseason and insists he gets exactly what he wants in a deal. None of the players in any of the propose trade packages have been disclosed.
"If there was an offer commensurate to what we believe is [Hamels'] value we would strongly consider it," Amaro told Salisbury.
The Phillies insistence on getting three top prospects in return for the left-hander, while also relieving themselves of their financial commitment to him entirely (either four years and $100 million or five years and $120 million), has had many baseball executives declare that Philadelphia is "out of touch" with the market for Hamels. However, this hasn't stopped teams from staying in touch with Amaro throughout the offseason.
Earlier in the week ESPN's Jayson Stark noted the Padres, Dodgers, Cardinals and Rangers have "stayed in contact" with the Phillies recently, so it's possible these are the four "real" offers. San Diego was said to have made an "aggressive" offer that the Phillies declined while Texas reached "in-depth" discussions about a Hamels deal, but talks fell through when the two sides couldn't agree on an amount of money the Phillies would cover in Hamels' contract. Los Angeles and St. Louis have reiterated they are satisfied with their starters moving forward, but the fact that they could use some insurance at the top end of their rotations further suggests they might be seriously interested. The Dodgers certainly have plentiful prospects to offer, while the Cardinals may be hard-pressed to give up the few they have.
The longer the Phillies wait, the greater the chance Hamels' value goes down in the event he suffers an injury or gets off to a slow start in 2015. However, it seems as if Amaro is willing to take that chance and perhaps sell high to a desperate club at the trade deadline. The same goes for trading closer Jonathan Papelbon, who is owed $13 million in 2015 and another $13 million in 2016 if he finishes 48 games this upcoming season. Both of these players carry onerous salaries that a number of teams wouldn't be thrilled to take on, but the fact that there have been suitors this offseason means a market exists.
Amaro just might watch it fizzle away if he continues to be stubborn.
