Report: Phillies Scouting Red Sox; Cole Hamels Open To Joining Boston

Are the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies cooking up a blockbuster?

That’s what The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo wonders.

According to Cafardo, the Phillies have been aggressively scouting the Red Sox, even after Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline. To make things even more interesting, a source close to Cole Hamels told Cafardo that the Phillies ace would be open to joining the Red Sox.

As always, we must take such speculation with a grain of salt. It certainly is interesting, however, that the Phillies are monitoring the Red Sox so closely. Where there’s smoke, there could be fire.

“Don’t think in 30 years of covering baseball I’ve ever seen a team (the Phillies) spend so much time scouting another team (the Red Sox) and not pull the trigger on a deal,” Cafardo wrote in his Sunday notes column. “Even after the trade deadline, the Phillies have had a scout in Boston, St. Louis, and Anaheim watching Boston’s young players.”

Cafardo suggests that talks between the teams could heat up this offseason. Hamels has been linked to Boston in trade rumors in the past, and Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said after the deadline that the club intends to be aggressive in the starting pitching market this winter, whether it is through trades or free agency.

The Red Sox could opt to re-sign Jon Lester, whom they recently traded to the Oakland Athletics, but Hamels represents another very intriguing option. Hamels, a left-hander who is the same age as Lester, has four years and $90 million remaining on his contract, plus an option for 2019.

Hamels owns a 105-80 record and 3.29 ERA over nine major league seasons. The 30-year-old southpaw is 6-6 with a 2.37 ERA in 21 starts with Philadelphia this season.

For now, we’re left to speculate. And Cafardo’s report definitely lends itself to some juicy speculation.