Cole Hamels has a 20-team no-trade clause in his contract, though the veteran southpaw described his no-trade protection as “just kind of a formality” during a wide-ranging chat with NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller. Hamels can block deals to every team except the Braves, Mariners, Phillies, Nationals, Rays, Cardinals, Cubs, Royals, and Astros, though it doesn’t sound like he would have any specific objection to being dealt to a contender. “Really, it’s just kind of like heads up….It just kind of provides a little bit more information, a little bit more bargaining power,” Hamels said. “That’s kind of really what that entails. But at the end of the day, situations kind of come up and I think everybody understands what can transpire.”
With the Rangers struggling and Hamels in his final year under contract, the former World Series MVP has often been cited as a potential deadline trade chip. Some players in Hamels’ position have used their no-trade clause to garner some extra money and/or future security, though it doesn’t seem like Hamels would be particularly inclined to insist that a new team (for example) automatically pick up the $20MM club option on his services for 2019. It’s worth noting that several of Hamels’ nine non-protected teams are contenders, so Texas might not necessarily have to worry about the no-trade clause at all to potentially deal the left-hander. Miller’s full piece is well worth a read, as Hamels discusses several topics about his past and future in baseball.
Some more from the AL West…
- An MRI revealed some damage to Blake Wood’s ulnar collateral ligament, the Angels told MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and other reporters today. Wood will receive a second opinion before deciding on his next course of action. The extent of the damage isn’t known, though the worst-case scenario would be that Wood undergoes Tommy John surgery and is thus sidelined through at least half of the 2019 season. Wood has been on the DL for the last month due to an elbow impingement, and had posted a 2.31 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.43 K/BB rate over 11 2/3 IP out of the Los Angeles bullpen this season. Wood is a free agent this winter, and would be facing some type of incentive-heavy, minor league deal at best if he does face a Tommy John absence.
- The Angels’ balancing act of using Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player has been “perfect” based on Ohtani’s projected and assumed values as a pitcher and as a hitter, according to ESPN.com’s Sam Miller. “The miracle isn’t just that we get to see a player who is as good at hitting and as good at pitching as Ohtani is. It’s that we get to see one who is precisely this good at each so that this usage makes sense,” Miller writes.
- As part of a reader mailbag piece, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes that he would “be surprised” if Brian McCann is with the Astros in 2019. McCann is in the final guarantee year of his contract and the Astros hold a $15MM club option on him for next season. This option vests into a player option should McCann has 601 PA and at least 90 starts at catcher this season, and doesn’t end the year on the disabled list, though obviously Houston could manage McCann’s workload to ensure he doesn’t hit the vesting threshold. The hot-hitting Max Stassi has already cut into McCann’s playing time, though McTaggart isn’t sure that Stassi (a longtime prospect) would necessarily be the starting catcher going forward if the Astros parted ways with McCann. It’s worth noting that the Astros were linked to J.T. Realmuto in trade rumors last winter, and the team has the minor league trade chips to manage such a big acquisition. McCann, 34, has above-average run creation numbers (111 wRC+) via his .248/.347/.396 slash line in 118 PA this season, though his production over the last five years has generally been closer to league-average.
- The Athletics’ pick of Matt Chapman with the 25th overall selection of the 2014 draft came about due to something of a “reverse Moneyball” situation, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal writes (subscription required). Chapman had only modest hitting numbers in college ball but his skillset was heavily praised by A’s scouts; unlike the events of the film and Michael Lewis’ book, Billy Beane and company decided to go against the statistics to choose Chapman, as a private workout for the team prior to the draft helped answer the front office’s concerns. The pick looks like a great one for the A’s, as Chapman has broken out into one of the game’s most promising young stars.
The Astros also have some very good young catching prospects such as Chuckie Robinson
J.T. Realmuto would be an awesome add for the astros. But the demand from the Marlins would be fairly higher then they would like. But they could get the deal done with Alveraz as a headliner.
Once again people not understanding what moneyball is are writing about it like its a set-in-stone thing, when its always been fluid – it changes with market trends, not some pillars of OBP and bad bodied guys who put up numbers. Chapman was always sick defensively and had a floor of Pedro Feliz from the jumpoff, all the A’s ever had to do was get the K’s under control and it looks like they have.
He was a fine pick even though the A’s wanted Grant Holmes more, if anything it shows that Beane’s love of iffy pitchers got blindsided by the Dodgers grabbing Holmes which led to him picking Chapman.
The one constant through the years is that the A’s have normally chosen performance over pure tools when selecting players (ideally preferring a combination of both). The fact that Chapman was excellent defensively and offered the fallback of being a pitcher (he had thrown 98 MPH from the mound) was likely what made taking a risk on his bat with a 1st round pick tolerable for Beane.
I felt as though beane and co. tried to go a little more on the defensive side with some players anyways after the early “money ball” years. Like crisp (earlier years with the a’s) Fuld, Barton, Ellis, etc.
That’s because Chapman is a former Titan.
Blow it up, JD. Fully. Don’t half a** it. I think Ranger fans have braced themselves by now for a horrible handful of years to come during this rebuild.
And tank for 5 years to get the top player in each draft?
People seem to forget that Cole Hamels is a pretty darn good hitter. Selective memories I guess. SMH.
I might get killed for this but I’m buying the Cole Hamels to Yankees rumors. Guy is clutch in the playoffs, has a $20 million team option for next year, and is 33, 34 years old and shouldn’t cost too much — theoretically. I’m excited for the possibility of the Yankees using some young guns, for Cole*
*Cole Hamels, not Gerrit Cole
Do the yankees have room for his salary? That 20 mil or whatevers left on the season has got to bring them close to the threshold.
Look at his salary over the next 1 3/4 years…No thanks
They would probably want the Rangers to pay half of his contract, but that would net a better return for Texas.
Another ucl tear that’s like 10 pitchers in the last 3-4 years. They don’t listen do a top to bottom review on what’s going on in the minors with the pitching program.
Most of the guys weren’t brought up in their system
True they but to many elbow injuries maybe the program has a flaw???
The Angels aren’t the only team that have this problem. Yes there has been 3 since opening day but for most teams they are spread out and not necessarily guys on the Major League roster. It’s a common theme with pitching now. It sucks but they aren’t the only team.
“They don’t listen do a top to bottom review on what’s going on in the minors with the pitching program.” Wood has spent a total of 3 games and 201 IP in the Angel’s minor league system…..kinda doubt that’s the problem here.
Issue is pitchers keep getting told they need to throw harder this is the case with most systems.
Though having a guy throw over 200 innings in 3 games can’t help
I guess that was a big case of fat fingers and being in too much of a hurry to proof read. 2.1 IP is a bit more like it.
As to your first point, yes…..speed kills elbows. It starts with youth teams and throwing with max effort year round. Muscles can strengthen, ligaments can’t. They just stretch and stretch until the snap after years of trying to throw harder. 50% of all TJS are now done on 15-19 year old kids and that is a shame.
Do you think kids trying to throw breaking pitches when they are way too young also hurts the development of young arms as well ?
To quote the late Dr. Jobes “I don’t think throwing the curve puts that much more stress on the arm. I think learning how to throw it does. That’s why Little League kids get in trouble. They want to throw a curve so they spend every afternoon throwing to their dads, trying as hard as they can to get it. Then if they’re good, the coach wants to win. If it’s the playoffs, the same kid might pitch three days in a row.”
static.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/bp/1431308.html
Another great source is MLB’s Pitch Smart m.mlb.com/pitchsmart/
Also the great many interviews with Dr. Andrews in print or YouTube
So in your learned opinion then it’s throwing breaking pitches the wrong way
and overuse at an early age that’s causing the kids problems
and setting the stage for arm problems later on ?
Sorry! I’ve got messed up phone service where I’m at
and it causes me problems with my posts !
Hamels to the mariners before the months is over.
Too bad the Mariners are one of the 20 teams.
Uh, no they’re not. They are one of the teams he CANT block.
For what? Cano and Cruz? King Felix?
Your not getting a anything more than a AAA prospect and a PTBL for him bro.
Hard to see how that trade works out. The Mariners don’t have much in prospect value to trade. Lewis is automatically part of the trade and even he might be a tough sell because of his slow development.
And the mariners don’t have the farm to get him. You know division rivals have to pay more right?
I think it might be the Brewers or the Yankees ! But it could be a bunch of rotation needy teams !
Maybe hamels back to phils. would be awsome. don’t know who they would give to Texas in return.
They can have Nick Williams.
I’m just gonna throw this up in the air. Hamels to the Astros. For him to be apart of that rotation would be awesome. Plus the Rangers can get some great prospects back in return. Just kinda makes since.
No way the Astros give the Rangers ANY prospects! Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Would be funny to see him traded to the Astros years after he turned down the rebuilding team to eventually join the Rangers.
I would love to see the Braves grab him but it scares me to think of the cost, especially if the Braves drop off significantly in production. Then we would have spent prospect currency for nothing.
I love what the Braves are doing but this level of production doesn’t seem real.
Braves, go get Hamels and then McCann this winter
I think the Phillies would be interested if Rangers paid 20M or so over 2 years. Not going to give up much though, he’ still is a 34 yo pitcher with 2400 innings on that arm.
The Phillies aren’t worried about cash on hand this year or next. Hamels last 7 starts since getting hammered on April 8th he has a slash line against of .199/.293/.360 in 42.2 IP and an ERA of 2.74. If they are interested I think they would rather take on all of the salary and give up less.