Last week Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro said he received four "real" offers for starting pitcher Cole Hamels. The Boston Red Sox appear to have been one of those clubs.
Boston's interest in Hamels dates back to the middle of the summer before the July 31 trade deadline. Amaro has stood his ground on what he wants in return for the prized left-hander, which is three top prospects. The Red Sox are in need of an ace and have the deep farm system to make a deal happen, but they are unwilling to surrender the prospects the Phillies want.
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox did indeed make an offer to the Phillies and they still appear to be holding out on giving up young talent.
"...what we've been able to piece together through various sources is that the package Boston offered was heavy on the major league side, trying to avoid giving up any of their top prospects," he writes. "Suffice it to say, that won't get you Hamels. The Phillies are insistent on prospects, and if they don't get them now they'll wait until the trade deadline when there might be more desperation by teams seeking to win."
Philadelphia was said to have wanted catcher Blake Swihart or second baseman/outfielder Mookie Betts as the centerpiece in a trade package from the Red Sox, but Boston has reiterated they do not want to give them up on top of inheriting Hamels' contract (four years and $100 million or five years and $120 million depending on the vesting option).
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington noted recently that the team would not be making any "headline grabbing" moves before spring training, but it appears they're still poking around on Hamels to see if Amaro's stance has changed. The longer the Phillies wait to deal Hamels, the more they risk in having his value decrease in the event he gets injured or gets off to a slow start in 2015. Amaro said eight teams have contacted him about Hamels, but no deal has seemingly been close to being made.
As Philadelphia continues to wait, could the Red Sox be that desperate team who comes calling July?
