Free-agent left-hander Cole Hamels has indicated he’s open to signing a one-year deal, but that doesn’t mean the veteran is nearing the end of his career. On the contrary, agent John Boggs told Jon Morosi of MLB.com that the soon-to-be 36-year-old Hamels aims to pitch “at least five more seasons” in the majors.
Whether Hamels has another half-decade left in him is up for debate. What’s not debatable? Hamels is one of the best, most accomplished starters on this year’s open market. Unsurprisingly, there has been plenty of interest in the former Phillie, Ranger and Cub. Thirteen teams have already reached out in regards to Hamels, according to Boggs. The identities of those clubs are unclear, though Hamels has made it known his preference is to sign with a contender. It’s also worth noting Hamels is from San Diego, and though the Padres are mired in a painfully long playoff drought, he seems open to signing with his hometown team.
“It’s cool for him to think about coming home to San Diego,” Boggs told Morosi. “More than anything, he wants to compete for a championship. The chance to win is what’s going to drive his decision-making.”
The Padres happen to be among a slew of teams in line to chase starting pitching this offseason. Hamels isn’t a top-end free agent like Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg, nor is he even a second-tier type like Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu or Jake Odorizzi, but he still looks capable of improving just about any team’s staff. While injuries limited Hamels to a mere 141 2/3 innings in 2019, he did give the Cubs a 3.81 ERA/4.09 FIP with 9.08 K/9, 3.56 BB/9 and a 47.3 percent groundball rate. Now, with no qualifying offer weighing him down, a large selection of teams seem to be zeroing in on the still-effective Hamels.
please Angels… please
Nope
He said he wants to win.
They’re going to be competitive soon. Mark my words. They’ve got money to spend, deep pockets that’ll get deeper, a couple of young guys coming, and a manager/coaching staff that’ll know how to change the culture and use all of the assets. I’m sure Hamels would be fine with playing for Maddon again.
I like the direction the angels are headed, but there are two teams in their own division with a better win now chance then them
so the Phillies? LOL
Matt Harvey says hi
Hey, if he’s healthy and his mechanics are right, he’d be a great pickup for the Halos. He’s amenable to a relatively cheap one-year deal, and there’s plenty of familiarity with Joe, Butterfield, and Tim Buss.
I think he goes to the Angels. I see them offering a 2 yr deal
lot of teams will offer him a two-year deal
No thanks
Come back home Cole! Brown would look good on you.
Brown doesn’t look good on anyone.
*UPS man sheds single tear*
Lol I am picturing it like the commercial with the native american and the litter.
God baseball fans are old!
You’re Pads Fans
His real home is in red pinstripes I want him back ;_:
“at least five more seasons”? Thats our Cole.
Angels need him , let Cole sign elsewhere
but…this is Cole
I’m talkin Garrit Cole
I was referring to Garrit Cole …
I think you mean Gerrit Kole.
Wouldn’t be a bad addition to the Mets if Wheeler signs elsewhere. Number five, lefty, etc.
Cole Hamels should go back home to the Philadelphia Phillies. One of my favorite pitchers.
This exactly. He knows how to pitch there on a winning team, and they need lots of pitching.
Keith or Buster said this but
There are no such thing as bad one year contracts
Steve Pearce says hello
There are risks associated to all moves though right?
At last report, Lonnie Chisenhell is hoping the Pirates will sign him for yet another one
No,Lonnie wants to go back to Cleveland to sit some more there and get paid.
Pretty amazing. Show up at spring training and then sit on the couch in Florida for 6 months. Someone say “one year contract?”
Bring bim home san diego. 3 year deal, 2 years with club option. Sign tanner roark.
Trade excess pieces for a controllable cf option, tommy pham maybe?
Agree on Hamels but a 2 year deal with an option would be smarter for the team imo.
I’d then trade for an impact position player like Whit Merrifield or Kris Bryant.
Cubs would trade Bryant for some of the Padres top prospects
He could be a good 3 starter for the Cards
Could see more then 1 year with Philadelphia or San Diego 1 year with anyone else sorta a contract year with plausible playoff contenders like Boston Oakland etc
Does this mean he’s aiming for a one year deal as a re-establishment contract, is he hoping to max out his value by letting teams know they don’t have to make a long commitment or is he aiming purely for market value on a one year deal?
I could see him going for 1 year/$30M or 1 year/$20M w/ a mutual option for $20M w/ a $5M buyout?
Or a 2 year/$45M deal w/ $5M buyout on $20M option…
thats a huge overpay for him at this point in his career maybe the pitcher he was 10 years ago in todays market would get 1 yr 30 mil but not even close now I would say his ceiling is 2 yr 30 mil.
It’s really not. People are buying into the echo chamber on here on a lot of different guys. This guy is not a $10m or $15m guy on a one-year deal. JA Happ just got $17m per! for multiple years! at a more advanced age! I would say $30m is indeed a bit of an overpay but not all that much. I would rather have him at 1/$30m than Odorizzi at 4/$80m.
Cole would only require 30mil on a 2 year contract. 16 or 17mil would be his max on a 1 year deal, I assume.
If that is what he is expecting I would say the Angels are out. From the contracts that have been given out to 30+ year old players the last 2 years, he is looking at something closer to 1/12 with an option year. Maybe if there is a bidding war he will get 2/25 – 2/28.
Dodgers on a 1+1 contract.
I wouldn’t mind seeing both Hamels and Bumgarner sign with the Braves. Probably won’t happen but I think that Atlanta could sign both and still be able to meet other needs through free agency and creative trades.
Why is no one talking about Wheeler to the Braves? He is from Georgia like Bumgarner,
Bum’s from North Carolina
Bumgarner is from NC, not Georgia. I like both Hamels and him because of their left handedness and because I think that they won’t require as much an outlay as Wheeler. I think Wheeler will have more than one team be motivated enough by his potential and more youthful status than the two grey beards to offer him significantly more total money. Just my opinion and I could be wrong.
@southi
I’m guessing you dont realize that Wheeler and MadBum will both be 30 at the start of the season?
To be honest for some reason I was thinking that Wheeler was only 28. My memory isn’t as good as it used to be and I didn’t check earlier. Thank you for pointing out my faulty logic.
Honestly I don’t blame you. A lot if people think Wheeler is significantly younger…and technically I was sring too. Wheeler turns 30 then end of May so he will still be 29 for another month or so.
Also MadBum has been so good for so long people think he is older then he really is!
Because Braves ain’t gonna drop 100mil on him.
Phillies
Cardinals!!
not the cubs
When he’s healthy and on point with his mechanics, he’s still got the ability to be just as dominant as about any of those 2nd tier names, and he can be much better than Odorizzi. The issue for Hamels is staying healthy and keeping those mechanics in line. He could be a great cheap-ish pick up on a one-year deal.
There is no such thing as a “San Diego discount” any longer. Too bad.
Being that California is one of the higher personal income tax states, players don’t want to offer any sort of discount.
California is not the highest overall tax burden. It is not even in the top 10. You have to take into account much more than the tax rate and any good CPA will lower your effective tax rate here with all the available deductions, In some states its a flat tax with no deductions and you pay whatever it is. You also have to take into account sales and excise taxes as well as property taxes.
I believe he only sold ONE of his houses outside of West Chester, PA, back when he was traded to Texas. Combine that with the active Hamels Foundation in the Philly area, and he’s probably got more roots in Philly than he does in his old hometown in SD. I’d be shocked and I’d probably cry just a bit if the Phils don’t bring him back.
Garrit Cole at the top of the Angels rotation and Cole Hamels in the middle of the rotation would be outstanding. Cole, Ohtani, Hamels, Heaney, and Canning with Barria, Suarez, Peters, and Sandoval fighting for a place in the rotation.
And then…. injuries set it. Either Cole’s to the Doyers
Signing Cole Hamels would be one of the most popular moves that the Phillies front office could make this off-season, as far as the fan base is concerned. It would also give them a reliable, left handed, #4 starter to slot in between Arrieta and Eflin. Hamels is a class act and hes on record saying he would be open to returning to Philly, where hes still active in the community. I’ll be really disappointed if they miss out on him. Hamels has at least 2-3 good years left in that arm.
5+ E.R.A. and opponents ba .315 in second half and writer puts what is not debatable is he is one of best starters on market ? I would debate it
Being the gamer that he is, he returned early from an oblique injury to try to help his team make a post-season run. Hamels will be one of the better bargains this off-season, especially without draft pick compensation attached to him.
“5+ E.R.A. and opponents ba .315 in second half and writer puts what is not debatable is he is one of best starters on market ? I would debate it.”
It was widely reported that he was rushed back from his injury. His track record speaks for itself.
Padres are no where close to competing. Overated.
Is that because they play in the same division as the Dodgers or because they need 4 starting pitchers?
Lol
He wants to stay in the NL Central. I’d guess Brewers
I’d actually be willing to bet money that the NL central is the LEAST likely division he ends up playing in, out of the 6.
He’d fit beautifully in Cincinnati! Imagine a rotation of Castillo Bauer gray desclafani and hamels? Dominant
He’s going to receive tons of offers for one year. Phillies should go two years/$25-$30 million if necessary.
Honestly, I think half the teams in the league would offer him that 2/25 deal without thinking twice. While the Phillies may in fact be outbid for the other Cole, I’m not worried about Middleton missing out on a hometown hero who serves a real purpose on this pitcher-needy roster. De facto GM Middleton should just be like, listen, what do I gotta do to get you back into red pinstripes TODAY?
Maybe the Braves get this done. Who knows. Maybe even Bumgarner also. I wouldn’t be angry about it at all. As if me being angry would change AAs decisions. lol
On a one-year contract, I think the Red Sox should be willing to overpay him to replace Porcello. We’ve got Betts and Martinez in 2020, and should look to reset the lux tax next year.
But if he wants more than a year, no thanks. Not a good fit.
I’d like to see the Mets add him. Not just for his experience, but to also talk pitching with the young starters. Maybe he can teach them the importance of ‘pitching’ over ‘throwing’?
A second lefty and one that could mentor Matz would be a real plus. A rotation of deGrom, Stroman, Hamels, Syndergaard and Matz (in that order) would really be solid. I know he’s older, but he also has experienced having lost some velocity. It would almost be like adding another pitching coach.
Hamels, a second lefty, going 210 innings and 13-10 with a 4.50 era pitching into the 7th every game? That’s a win for the Mets.
Brown doesn’t belong in baseball. UPS only!
Goto Texas: Give them Hosmer,Yates and Gore for Gallo
Goto Boston: Give them Myers for Betts
Sign: Strasburg
Here is your new playoff contending team
are you a freaking moron? one trade you mention – to texas – is an absolutely PUTRID trade. Gore and Yates for trash like gallo. yeah… GREAT IDEA.
and myers for betts? LMAO… in what alternate universe would boston accept that? i’ll give you a clue. NONE, except your delusions.
no no no… freaking NO! we (padres) don’t need a starter and if we do., we don’t need another dude who will just be a more expensive version of what we would get from Luchessi or Lauer AT BEST.