The Philadelphia Phillies’ general manager strongly suggested that the Toronto Blue Jays are interested in left-hander Cole Hamels in an unusually candid interview.
“I guarantee I’ll get more grey hairs from my daughter driving than any trade talks with Mozeliak, Anthopoulos and Cherington,” Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
While John Mozeliak of the St. Louis Cardinals, Ben Cherington of the Boston Red Sox and Alex Anthopoulos of the Blue Jays would all benefit from a pitcher of Hamels’ calibre, there’s no indication that those GMs will be willing to meet Amaro’s asking price. The Phillies have reportedly asked for top prospects in exchange for Hamels, and Anthopoulos hinted that the 31-year-old left-hander wasn’t a realistic target soon after Marcus Stroman tore his ACL.
Yet there’s no denying that Hamels has the potential to help a club in need of pitching.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone, particularly left-handed, better than him,” Amaro said. “Debate it all you want, from the sabermetrics to scout evaluations, but he is as good as there is going to be out there.”
Hamels has a 3.19 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 31 innings so far in 2015. The three-time All-Star has logged at least 200 innings in each of the last five seasons, posting a 3.00 ERA with an average of 204 strikeouts per season during that period.
The loss of Stroman left the Blue Jays with two rookie starters in their rotation, and the group has struggled early on. Blue Jays starters rank 27th in MLB with a 5.34 ERA.
Amaro told USA Today that the Phillies are “not afraid to subsidize contracts” if it allows them to obtain a more substantial return. That means Philadelphia could pick up some of the $96 million Hamels is owed through 2018 (he could earn up to $110 million through 2019 if an option on his contract is exercised).
The Los Angeles Dodgers are also among the teams that could have interest in adding starting pitching this summer.
