MLB Trade Rumors: Breaking Down Best Potential Landing Spots for Cole Hamels

Although the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping to hang around in the NL East race until their sluggers got healthy, it just didn’t happen. They currently sit 14 games behind the Washington Nationals, fueling speculation that ace Cole Hamels might be moved before the deadline.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports reports the Phillies will attempt to sign Hamels to a new contract before making him available, but one source told him there’s only a 30 percent chance of a deal. With that in mind, let’s look at the best possible destinations for the starter based on the report’s list.

 

1. Texas Rangers

The Rangers should have no trouble generating offense thanks to one of the deepest lineups in baseball. The confidence level in the team’s starting rotation isn’t quite as high, however, which makes Texas a prime candidate for Hamels.

There are question marks concerning just about every Texas starter. Matt Harrison has been a pleasant surprise, but his peripheral numbers point to a drop off in the second half. It’s tough to project how Yu Darvish will handle his first MLB workload. And Colby Lewis has battled injury.

That trio carried the rotation in the first half, so if they struggle it will be a major issue since nobody else has stepped up. Acquiring Hamels would give them a lot more stability in the rotation and take a lot of pressure off those other three pitchers.

 

2. Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander gives the Tigers a terrific chance to win every fifth day. It’s been those four days in between that have to worry the Tigers front office, especially when considering a potential playoff series against an elite offense like the Rangers or New York Yankees.

While a pitcher like Max Scherzer has a boatload of talent, he hasn’t been able to translate that into consistent success. Every other starter in the rotation remains unproven at the major league level, leaving a lot of question marks moving forward.

Putting together Verlander (right-hander) and Hamels (left-hander) would give the Tigers one of the best one-two punches in baseball. It would also mean they would only need one of those other starters to excel to have a formidable playoff rotation instead of two.

 

3. Boston Red Sox

Even though the Red Sox have dealt with some terrible injury luck, they are still in the thick of the playoff race and would benefit greatly from adding a front-line starter like Hamels. The team’s rotation has been a massive disappointment so far.

Jon Lester certainly hasn’t pitched like an ace. Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz have both underperformed. And it’s tough to trust pitchers like Felix Doubront and Franklin Morales, even though they have pitched well for stretches.

Bringing in Hamels to lead the rotation would give them a much better chance of chasing down the Wild Card leaders than sticking with the current group. Just like the other teams on the list, the Red Sox would also allow the Phillies to trade Hamels out of the National League.

 

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MLB Trade Rumors: Grading All 25 Phillies’ Current Trade Value

There’s something different about Major League Baseball’s trade deadline this season.

Maybe it’s the eerie silence on the transaction front less than two weeks from the July 31, non-waiver trade deadline. It is a different game this season. There are a lot of teams in their respective races and the second Wild Card will keep postseason hopes alive until the very last moment.

But don’t be fooled. This isn’t going to be a quiet trade deadline. It’s more like the calm before the storm.

As teams finally decide they’re not in the playoff picture, we’ll begin to see an intense trade period, and no team is in a better position to cash in than the Philadelphia Phillies, who are double-digit games out of first place in the NL East.

So who will they trade?

Believe it or not, that’s up in the air. The Phillies will kick plenty of tires over the next couple of weeks, but there is no doubt that they have some of the game’s top trade chips.

This slideshow will attempt to determine the value of each trade chip. We’ll rank the trade chip on a scale from 1-10. A mark of 1 will signify that a player has no trade value while a mark of 10 will show that they are extremely valuable.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Changes That Must Be Made to Rejuvenate Team

It’s getting to be crunch time for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Following a regular-season first half that saw injuries and poor play combine to keep the team in last place in the National League East, the team must now decide whether they will become buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

If they become buyers, chances are any additions will not resemble the major midseason acquisitions of past seasons.

If they turn into sellers, the Phillies may be on the other end of those big-name deals that they have been a part of in recent seasons.

Either way, at 14 games back in the NL East and 11 games back in the wild-card standings, the Phils must undergo some changes if they are going to make a run in the second half.

Here are five changes that must be made to rejuvenate the team.

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Cole Hamels Trade Rumors: Latest Updates on Dodgers, Rangers and More

Cole Hamels has been having one of his best years so far. Since his last outing on July 15th, he’s 11-4 with a 3.07 ERA and 125 strikeouts. Those are ace numbers, and others teams are looking at him as precisely that.

As perhaps the hottest trade piece on the market, there seems to be a new trade rumor every day. Here we’ll look at all of the biggest updates and look to see where he may end up.

This will be periodically updated throughout July, with new information added to the beginning of the list.

Begin Slideshow

MLB Trade Rumors: What Is Going to Happen with Shane Victorino?

Shane Victorino is in a precarious position right now with the Philadelphia Phillies.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Phillies have put an extremely high price tag on the switch-hitting center fielder. Since he is not having an amazing year, that high price might very well scare away potential suitors.

However, on the flip side, according to a report by Jon Heyman from CBSSports on July 8, the Phillies have not been very aggressive about bringing back the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” next season.

Therefore, what is going to happen to him?

The Phillies’ trade demands will probably drop as the deadline draws nearer. This type of thing happens every year, and teams finally realize that if they want to get a trade done, compromises have to be made.

For Victorino, a trade might be the better scenario. He needs to go somewhere else and have a strong second half. If the Phillies are truly not interested in bringing him back after this season, perhaps another team would be able to offer him an extension before he enters the free-agent market.

That is why I feel his position is precarious. There are a lot of major league outfielders who will be on the market this winter, including Josh Hamilton, Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton and Torii Hunter.

With a plethora of strong options, Victorino will obviously not be coming off as strong of a year as some of these others. Any team that will want to sign an outfielder will have plenty of choices, and that could drive down everyone’s paycheck.

I like Shane Victorino a lot, and I really don’t want him to leave Philadelphia. However, from a career perspective, it may be better for him to find some place where he might be able to stick long term with a nice extension and not have to mess around in such a busy market this winter.

 

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Would a Massive Cole Hamels Deal with the Phillies Make Cliff Lee Trade Bait?

The whole world is waiting for the Philadelphia Phillies to trade Cole Hamels, and why not? He’s due to become a free agent at the end of the year, he could fetch them a significant package of prospects and it’s not like they need him anymore seeing as how they’re 13 games under .500 and utterly without hope heading into the season’s second half.

If Hamels was on any other team, he probably would have already been traded by now.

But the Phillies are the Phillies. They have lots of cash and a fan base that must be pleased, lest they stop filling every seat in Citizens Bank Park day after day. The Phillies are not about to let Hamels go without a fight.

According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Phillies are going to make one more last-ditch effort to sign Hamels before MLB‘s July 31 trade deadline. Stark has it on good authority that the Phillies are preparing a “substantial offer” for Hamels. In this case, the thinking is that the offer would have to be something similar to the five-year, $112.5 million extension Matt Cain got from the San Francisco Giants.

If Hamels rejects this offer, it’s a virtual lock that the Phillies will deal him at some point in the next couple weeks. If he accepts this offer, he’s not going anywhere.

Even if Hamels does re-up with the Phillies, there’s some chatter about the team parting ways with another one of their star left-handers at the trade deadline: veteran lefty Cliff Lee.

Yup, him again. He was traded at the deadline in 2009 and 2010, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he could be traded at the deadline in 2012 too.

Renowned MLB Network baseball guru Peter Gammons floated the idea to 94WIP’s Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show. Via CBS Philly:

I’m still, in the back of my mind, and I’m sure I’m wrong here. But I keep thinking Is there a possibility that they’ll see if they can, in the next couple of weeks, if we can get in an area, where we can sign Hamels and trade Cliff Lee, because you could get more for Cliff Lee than you can for Hamels.

Very interesting…But does this notion have any legs?

Yes and no.

No, because this is more a case of Gammons thinking out loud than anything else. He did the same thing when he floated the idea of the Boston Red Sox trading Jon Lester (see CBS Boston), and that didn’t end up going anywhere. In fact, Lester himself took to Twitter to let the people of Red Sox Nation know that he is perfectly happy in Boston.

Yes, because Gammons isn’t wrong in suggesting that the Phillies could get more for Lee than they could for Hamels. Lee is older than Hamels and he’s had some slight injury problems in the last couple of years, but he’s a former Cy Young winner who is under contract through 2015. Lee wouldn’t be a rental, and he’s a better pitcher than Hamels when things are clicking for him.

And believe it or not, Gammons is not the first baseball insider to pitch the idea of the Phillies trading Lee. Joel Sherman of the New York Post pitched it almost a month ago.

Here’s the key part of Sherman’s reasoning:

The Phils are in a tough spot. They are in the midst of the best stretch in team history (five straight division titles, two pennants, one title). They want to honor that run and the full houses they get each game at Citizens Bank Park by continuing to go for it. But to get there they have had to strip their farm system while elevating the age of their major league roster. They need a mechanism to get younger while still contending.

They could contend without Lee if Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Halladay get healthy/productive (remember, they won it all in 2008 with just one unquestioned ace in Hamels). And they can’t win even with Lee if that trio does not rediscover close to their peak form. But either way the Phillies would be best served with an injection of talented youth that Lee could bring in a trade.

So you can easily see where both Gammons and Sherman are coming from. Signing Hamels is in the Phillies’ interest because he’s still young, but keeping him wouldn’t change the fact that they desperately need to do something to strengthen their farm system. In this scenario, Lee is without a doubt their best trade asset, one that they can afford to part with to boot.

Not that trading Lee would be easy, of course. He loves Philadelphia, and Sherman noted that Lee has a nine-team no-trade list. AND he’s owed $25 million per year in 2013, 2014 and 2015, with a $27.5 million vesting option for the 2016 season. It’s either that or a $12.5 million buyout.

This narrows the list of potential trade partners down considerably. The New York Yankees would seem to be an obvious suitor, but Sherman had a point when he noted that the Yankees have tried on multiple occasions to acquire Lee with no success. Plus, they’re not looking to add payroll, and they mean it when they say that.

The Phillies could eat some of Lee’s salary in order to make it easier to trade him, but why would they do that? You typically only see that when a team is trading away a bad player with a big contract, a la Carlos Zambrano. You don’t see that when a team is trading away a good player with a big contract.

Besides, if the Phillies sign Hamels to a lucrative extension, they’re going to want to get as much money off their books as they possibly can. Per USA Today, their payroll already checks in at around $175 million. The last thing they want is to climb too high above the luxury tax threshold.

To make sure we’re all clear on this, Lee doesn’t have to go if the Phillies do end up re-signing Hamels at some point in the next couple of weeks. The Phillies could easily choose to keep the Halladay-Lee-Hamels rotation trio intact for the purpose of contending in 2013 and beyond. 

But they’d be fools not to at least consider dealing Lee if they do re-sign Hamels, just as they’d be fools to not consider dealing Hamels if he isn’t re-signed. They need to think about the team’s future, which isn’t all that bright.

The team’s mound staff is fine, but just look at what the Phillies are dealing with in the field. Shane Victorino is a declining player who is due to become a free agent at the end of the season. Chase Utley is playing on two ruined knees, and it’s not out of the question that he could be forced into an early retirement. Ryan Howard was on the decline as a hitter in 2010 and 2011, and then he ruptured his Achilles last October. Jimmy Rollins has come around after a slow start, but he’s also getting older.

The Phillies need young players in place to take over when their aging stars are ready to be replaced. Right now, they don’t have those young players, and at this point spending money on high-priced free agents should be out of the question.

Make no mistake about it, the Phillies must do something to add to their farm system. To that end, Hamels and Lee can help.

If the Phillies end up holding on to both of them, then they better win in 2012 and/or 2013. The current team’s window to contend is closing.

 

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Phillies Trade Rumors: Cole Hamels Extension Would Mean Hunter Pence Is Toast

In the midst of what is one of the most disappointing scenarios possible in Philadelphia, the Phillies find themselves 14 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East and may very well find themselves as sellers towards the end of this month if they can’t find a way to close the gap—quickly.

Part of what makes this season so surprising is that the always consistent starting rotation has struggled, with Cliff Lee only recently earning his first win of the season and Roy Halladay still not yet back from injury.

Cole Hamels, on the other hand, has taken advantage of his contract-year status and is pitching like a guy looking for a big payday. In 17 starts in the first half of the season, the All-Star posted a 10-4 record with an ERA down around 3.00.

The team’s place in the bottom of the standings might indicate that it would want to sell as high as possible on Hamels in order to build up the farm system with some top prospects. But while there have been no shortage of rumors regarding potential destinations for him, the team’s push to put together a lucrative contract extension also makes plenty of sense.

By all accounts, the 28-year-old lefty would require a contract similar to the $128 million deal that Matt Cain signed with the San Francisco Giants earlier this year. With more than $68 million already committed to the rotation in 2012, it’d be hard to believe there is any room to open the wallet further, but Joe Blanton’s departure would free up $10.5 million.

The Phillies outfield could have a new look next year as well. With Shane Victorino underperforming in the final year of his three-year, $22 million deal, the team could find itself able to re-sign him to a shorter deal at a reduced price compared to the $9.5 million he’s making this season. Although, the Phillies could still opt to ship him out this July if they find someone willing to part with the right package.

Another outfielder who could be the odd man out if this push for Hamels works out is Hunter Pence, who is already making more than $10 million as he plays in his arbitration years.

His batting average and power numbers have come down a bit from last year, but he’s still on pace for close to a 30-home run, 100-RBI season. And he could bring in around $15 million next year before hitting the open market—something the Phillies may be turned off by if they hand Hamels a $100-plus million payday.

Pence’s value on the trade market may be somewhat up in the air this summer, as there are a number of outfielders—like B.J. Upton, Delmon Young, Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, Melky Cabrera and Josh Hamilton—set to hit free agency after the season, meaning teams could opt to hold on to their prospects and fill their gaps in the offseason.

Pence does have a young age and plenty of talent on his side, however. He should be good enough to yield solid prospects in return if the Phillies to opt to part ways prior to the trade deadline.

Moves in any direction shouldn’t be expected too soon. Despite rumors that the team would be selling soon, it may wait until right before the deadline to determine where it stands in terms of possible contract extensions and whether or not it will truly be sellers.

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Bad-Luck Philadelphia Phillies: Baseball Gods Swear Off 2012 Season

The baseball gods have been plotting against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Since day one of spring training, the baseball gods have unleashed a series of plagues upon the Phillies to ensure that Charlie Manuel’s squad will not win their sixth straight National League East title.

First came the plague of injury.

By the middle of spring training, the Phillies learned that they would be without their No. 3 and 4 hitters until at least June. After setbacks to both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, a lat strain to ace Roy Halladay, season-ending injuries to the arms of key members of the bullpen and nagging injuries to other starters and role players, the Phillies sit dead last in the NL East standings with a 37-50 mark at the break.

While major injuries to a team’s three best players is usually back-breaking, it takes much more to KO this Phillies club.

Just look back at the 2011 season. The Phillies suffered numerous injuries and had to place Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Joe Blanton and Domonic Brown on the DL at some point during the season. Putting all these disadvantages aside, the Phillies incredibly managed to win a club-record 102 games.

But in the 2012 season, the baseball gods conjured up more than just injuries to torment the Phillies.

The second plague was to punish the Phillies for mediocrity.

In most instances, mediocre teams have middle-of-the-pack team stats when compared to the rest of the league. Mediocre stats usually translate to records around .500, the epitome of average teams.

On paper, the Phillies look like an average team.

With the bats, Philly ranks 19th for OPS, tied for 16th in home runs and are even tied for ninth in batting average.

With the arms, the Phils are 22nd in ERA, second in strikeouts and second in walks allowed.

However, in this odd instance, the Phillies’ mediocre stats do not translate to a record close to .500.

So what is the reason for the Phillies having the seventh-worst record in the league if they have average hitting and even above-average pitching?

Bad luck.

With the stats the Phillies show, the baseball gods have undoubtedly cursed their record from one that should be hovering around .500 to a dreadful 13 games below.

Average stats should translate to average records, but unfortunately, the Phillies are experiencing being the outlier in the data.

If these troubles weren’t bad enough, the final plague sent from the baseball gods is now forcing the Phillies to dig their own graves: misleading run differentials.

With the average statistics gathered from the Phillies’ first 87 games, this team should theoretically have a run differential close to zero.

Once again, the Phillies got the bad end of the deal, with their run differential currently residing at minus-28.

But this is only where the bad luck begins.

For the Phillies to be 13 games under .500 and only having scored 28 less runs than their opponents is incredibly unlucky.

The baseball gods have pinpointed the Phillies as the team to pick on this year, while letting other teams with similar run differentials enjoy success.

The Giants, who have a minus-eight run differential, find themselves six games over .500 and a half game out of first place in the NL West.

The Indians enjoy their cushy second-place seat in the standings at three games over .500 despite having a run differential of minus-29.

The Orioles have a run differential of minus-36 for crying out loud, yet they have their best shot of making the playoffs in years with a record of 45-40.

With the Phillies losing just about every close game in the first half, odds are this trend will even out in the latter part of the season.

Even still, the baseball gods have caused enough damage to the Phillies’ first half that the season can now be looked at as a lost cause.

With all of the bad luck cursed upon the Phillies this first half, it would take miracle luck for the Phillies to reverse ship in the second half.

The odds of this reversal of luck are minimal, yet then again, so were the odds that a team with all indicators pointing to a .500 record being off to such a horrendous first-half start.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why They Shouldn’t Be Scared of Hamels’ Contract Length

While the Philadelphia Phillies are making one last push to try to keep the Cole Hamels in Philadelphia, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the length of the contract very well might be the issue right now.

The Phillies seem to follow an organizational policy that dictates that they will not sign pitchers to contracts longer than five years.

If the Phillies are ever going to make an exception, now is the time to do that.

First of all, Hamels is 28 years old. Even if he signs a six-year contract, it isn’t like he is going to be old when the contract is over.

When they signed Roy Halladay to his three-year contract with a fourth-year option, they knew that that deal would not be complete until he was 36 or 37.

Similarly, with Cliff Lee, his contract won’t be expired until he’s either 37 or 38 if his option is exercised.

Hamels would only be 34 at the end of a six-year contract. While it is a pretty big risk to sign anybody long-term, a six-year would essentially keep him in Philadelphia through what should be his prime.

Another reason to make an important exception here for Hamels is because he could easily be part of the future.

If the Phillies are actually trying to rebuild the team, why would you trade away one of the best pitchers in all of baseball? He has been their best pitcher throughout the season, and he seems to be getting better every season.

While Hamels has said that he would love to come back to Philadelphia as a free agent even if he is traded at the deadline, once he hits the market, his value is going to skyrocket.

If the Phillies want to bring back Hamels long-term, they really should do it right now.

While a long contract is definitely a risk, when you look at the actual breakdown of what a six-year contract would look like, it is definitely possible and likely that Hamels will be highly effective for the next six years.

He will simply be pitching through the middle of his career, and the Philadelphia Phillies should make sure that that happens in the City of Brotherly Love.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies Reportedly Prepping Monster Offer for Cole Hamels

After months of trade rumors surrounding ace Cole Hamels, the Philadelphia Phillies are still holding out hope that they can sign the 28-year-old left-hander to a contract extension.

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN, the Phillies are preparing a major offer to keep Hamels in Philadelphia.

Hamels is 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 118 innings this season. This follows up a 2011 campaign that saw him go 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while throwing 216 innings.

The veteran, who is in his seventh season in the league, is a free agent after this season, and he hasn’t been able to agree on an extension with the Phillies yet leading up to the trade deadline, leading many to believe he’s on his way out. 

But if the Phillies lose Hamels, it appears it certainly won’t be due to lack of effort.

Hamels talked about free agency before the All-Star break, via ESPN’s Jayson Stark:

“Every human being wants to know what their value is, in whatever job they’re doing. If you get to do it, it’s a pretty cool experience.”

The Phillies will likely have to offer Hamels a mega offer if they expect to keep him. While he has been with the team for a while, he has a lot of leverage right now, given his production throughout the years and the fact that there’s likely heavy interest out there.

The Texas Rangers are reportedly rumored to be in the mix for Hamels if he is traded, and contenders such as the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds could go after him as well.

The Phillies’ slinger is certainly a wanted man these days.

 

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