The Philadelphia Phillies may look at a Cole Hamels trade this offseason and teams like the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, NY Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants all could be interested in making a move if the Phils finally pull the trigger on a trade and this comes as the team is also shopping Ryan Howard.
Hamels is coming into the season at 31 years old and he is still pitching at a high level for the Phillies. Teams that miss out or don't want to pay up huge for a long contract on Max Scherzer or James Shields could look at adding Hamels, as he is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. Hamels has four years left on his deal and is getting paid over $20 million per, but with his age and skill set, he could be a strong addition in the rotation for a number of teams.
The Padres have been one of the most active teams in the offseason with trades and that is why many think they could be an option for Hamels. The team added Matt Kemp and Wil Myers in separate deals and now they could look at making a move on Hamels. The Yankees have been mentioned as a potential option and they have started to stockpile some arms and could make a move. The team made multiple trades for young prospects and pitching depth and that could lead to a deal with the Phillies.
Hamels had a very strong season last year and he put up a very good stretch from May until the end of the season, as Jayson Stark at ESPN.com notes that he had the third best ERA in baseball over his final 27 starts. Hamels put up a 2.06 ERA through that stretch and the only better numbers were from Felix Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw. Stark also notes that during that stretch he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning and had 23 straight starts with three or fewer runs allowed and five innings pitched.
The Phillies have had a down run over the past few years and it came after the team was a perennial playoff contender and NL East champion. The team traded Jimmy Rollins this offseason to the Dodgers and they reportedly are also willing and looking to trade Ryan Howard. If Howard and Hamels are moved, Chase Utley will be one of the last links to the World Series winning team. Hamels went 9-9 last season with a sub 3.00 ERA for a bad team and now he could be on his way out to a contender.
The Phillies went 73-89 last season and finished in the bottom part of the NL East and now the team is in a bit of a rebuild after the trades they made this offseason. Cliff Lee dealt with injuries, leaving Hamels as the best pitcher for the team last season. Hamels led the team in strikeouts and ERA last season and the team ended up 20th overall in ERA and the same rank in BAA and WHIP, while the staff was 19th overall in quality starts.
