The Philadelphia Phillies still haven’t traded ace starter Cole Hamels, but GM Ruben Amaro isn’t too concerned. The trade market for Hamels is still quite strong, and according to CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers are all solid suitors for him.
Five weeks before spring training, there are four primary suitors for Hamels, according to sources. Those teams are the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.
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Potential trade partners are well aware of what it would take to get Hamels. If a team blinks in this staredown, the Phillies will pull the trigger. If not, the Phils will hold onto Hamels and take offers into July. By then, Lee will have had time to show his wares. If he’s healthy, he’ll be a trade chip, too. Keep an eye on the Red Sox if Lee is healthy. They have always had a thing for him.
Of the four teams most connected to Hamels, the Red Sox might be most in the background. They added three pitchers — Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Justin Masterson — last month and seem content to see how that trio improves their fortunes before jumping in full force on Hamels or maybe Lee.
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The Phils would still love to add a top catching prospect to the rebuild. They are high on Boston’s Blake Swihart. They would likely insist on getting catcher Austin Hedges in a package from San Diego.
According to a baseball source, Texas has maintained quiet interest in Hamels. The Rangers have some intriguing position-player prospects but will be very protective of hitters Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. The Rangers do have a top catching prospect in Jorge Alfaro.
In my opinion, Amaro is doing the right thing here. Trading Hamels just to trade him is silly, especially with Max Scherzer and James Shields still lurking on the free agent market. Once those players sign, teams in need of a top-tier starting pitcher will have to look towards Hamels, and Amaro will be in a fantastic position to extract the most possible value of out his ace.
Honestly, the Phillies have done what they’ve needed to do this winter, aside from trading Hamels and finding someone to take Ryan Howard, no matter what the cost. As Salisbury notes in his column, Philadelphia failed miserably at extracting maximum value in the past when trading Curt Schilling and Cliff Lee. They can’t screw up trading Hamels, because it would be an absolute franchise crusher. He’s the best player they have left, and has the most value of anyone on their roster – Vicente Padilla or Philippe Aumont plus a couple of other guys won’t cut it.
