The Philadelphia Phillies have yet to trade left-hander Cole Hamels. It doesn’t mean there aren’t proposals floating around.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury on Wednesday that eight teams have “kicked the tires” on Hamels. Salisbury dug deeper to discover how many “real” offers the Phillies have received for the ace.
“Real offers?” Amaro said.
“Four.”
Amaro obviously wouldn’t go into specifics regarding which teams submitted offers for Hamels, but his revelation confirms there is indeed a good amount of interest in the three-time All-Star despite the four years and $96 million remaining on his contract. The real hurdle, of course, is offering something that appeals to the Phillies, as Philadelphia reportedly is seeking at least one blue-chip prospect in return.
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported this week that the San Diego Padres made an “aggressive offer” for Hamels before signing James Shields to a four-year, $75 million contract. Salisbury notes that the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers also have been connected to Hamels this offseason. The Phillies are said to love Red Sox prospects Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart.
While it’s certainly possible the Phillies could unload Hamels before Opening Day, the team appears to be in no rush to trade him. Amaro recently said he believed Hamels would begin the season with Philadelphia, suggesting a midseason deal is more likely.
“If there was an offer commensurate to what we believe is (Hamels’) value, we would strongly consider it,” Amaro told Salisbury.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
