Phillies Trade Rumors: Is Dealing Cole Hamels the Right Thing to Do?
July 10, 2012 by Matt Boczar
Filed under Fan News
For the Philadelphia Phillies, trading a 28-year-old All-Star starting pitcher who is still in his prime can’t be a way to improve the team for the future, can it?
Unfortunately, a 50-loss first half and 17-27 home record have put the Phillies in a position that they didn’t want to be in at the trade deadline.
Not only could the team turn into sellers if play doesn’t pick up, but All-Star Cole Hamels has still yet to sign a long-term deal.
The timing of these two instances has led to widespread speculation involving Hamels being dealt at the deadline. Unfortunately, this season has revealed multiple areas in which the team needs improvement for both this season and going forward.
And no player could bring in more pieces for turning the Phils back into contenders over the next few seasons, which brings up the question: is trading the left-hander the right thing to do?
What may be most alarming about this season involves Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 Prospect List, posted by J.J. Cooper. The list contains Baseball America’s ranking of the top 50 prospects in the minor leagues as of July 1, and does not include those players drafted last month.
Not one Phillies prospect is on the list.
Meanwhile, potential prospects whom the Phillies could acquire for Hamels find themselves ranked high on the list.
According to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal on yardbarker.com, the Texas Rangers have scouted Hamels, and Double-A third baseman Mike Olt could be part of a potential deal.
Baseball America ranks Olt, who is batting .294 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI, at No. 11.
With Placido Polanco having a $5.5 million mutual option for next season, third base is a position that the Phils could be looking at for a replacement, and a younger, cheaper player may fit the bill. A cheaper free-agent signing to serve as a segue until Olt is ready for the major leagues could save the Phils a great deal in payroll rather than targeting a high priced free agent.
A recent article by Corey Seidman on CSNPhilly.com lists Nick Castellanos, a third baseman currently playing in Double-A for the Detroit Tigers, as another potential acquisition.
Castellanos was recently named MVP of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
Castellanos, who is batting .307 with four home runs and 15 RBI at Double-A, is ranked at No. 12 by Baseball America.
Baseball America also ranks former Phillies prospects Travis d’Arnaud, Jonathan Singleton and Anthony Gose in their top 50 list.
Trading Hamels provides an opportunity to once again have a farm system that features top 50 talents.
The trade speculation surrounding Hamels took an interesting turn following a recent interview with Leslie Gudel on CSNPhilly.com. In the interview, Hamels responded to a question asking if there was a possibility that he would sign with the Phillies in the offseason if he is traded this season.
“It’s an organization and I understand the business side and I won’t be offended. I think you need to know your players and because I think I’ve been here long enough, I think [the front office] pretty much understands my personality and they know that if something had to arise, I wouldn’t be offended and I still would give them the benefit of the doubt and come back, because this is one of the best organizations I’ve ever seen. It has the best fan base I’ve ever seen. It’s a great place to play baseball and there are a ton of great guys to play baseball with.”
Although this can hurt the Phillies’ chances of obtaining multiple high-ranking prospects in a deal, contending teams will still be willing to trade at least one top prospect even if they are only acquiring Hamels for the rest of the season.
And if Hamels hits free agency, he has said that the Phillies would be a top choice of his, as a recent article by Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com explains.
“I’ll always give them the first choice,” he said. “If there are multiple teams I’m always going to put them at the top of my list.”
To further make matters interesting, the Phillies are likely currently exceeding the luxury tax threshold for this season, meaning the team has to shed salary in order to avoid paying the tax.
Of course, the Phils could trade other players in order to get under the tax threshold. But with multiple areas in need of improvement, the Phillies could have to continue spending during the offseason so as to consistently remain in contention. Avoiding paying the tax this season means the Phillies would not be considered repeat offenders next season should their payroll exceed the $178 million mark for the 2013 season.
A last-place team having to pay the luxury tax could lead to some head scratching.
Both Hamels and the majority of fans want to see the All-Star remain in a Phillies uniform past this season. But if the team’s play doesn’t pick up in the second half, even with a roster at full strength, the Phils will have to make some deals in order to get back into contention past this season.
By trading Hamels, the Phillies would acquire at least one top-level prospect who would likely be close to playing in the major leagues, while also helping the team avoid paying an additional tax due to a large payroll.
And come the offseason, there would at least be some chance of signing the left-hander to resume his career in Philadelphia.
A last-place standing for a playoff-caliber team means changes must be made, and Hamels could become an innocent victim.
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