The Boston Red Sox have been linked to Cole Hamels in trade rumors all offseason and while they have made offers for the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, no deal was agreed on and heading into spring training another name has come up, as the Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox could be interested in acquiring Cliff Lee in a trade.
The Red Sox appear to be going all in on this season after signing Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Rusney Castillo and now they could look at making a trade. The team added Rick Porcello in a deal this offseason and according to a column in the Boston Herald, Lee could be the next target for the Sox. Boston has depth in the rotation, but they always could push someone into the bullpen and it's clear that Hamels is a target after the interest the Red Sox showed earlier in the winter.
The Phillies are very likely to trade Hamels, as he has said publically that he would like to be with a winning team. The Phillies may wait until the trade deadline to make a move and if that happens, the Red Sox likely will remain in the mix. According to Hardball Talk, "at least 24 scouts" were at the Yankees vs. Phillies spring training game to watch Hamels pitch and he stayed in for two innings, striking out two batters.
The Red Sox will remain as one of the favorites for Hamels since they have a deep farm system of prospects and that could be the main target for the Phillies. Hamels is 31 years old and still has four years and over 90 million remaining on his contract and while the Red Sox are on his limited no trade list, they still should be in the running to trade for him. The contract could be for five years and $110 million, as he has a club option for the 2019 season.
CSN New England writes that the Red Sox have "no sense of urgency" regarding Hamels and a trade, which means a summer deal is more likely if one goes down. The Red Sox may want to wait and see if they are in contending position this summer and they likely will be after making a number of free agent signings and other transactions. The Red Sox reportedly made an offer last month, but the Boston Globe reported it had more major league ready players than prospects, which is what Philly is looking for.
According to Hardball Talk, the Red Sox are not willing to trade Blake Swihart or Mookie Betts as part of the deal for Hamels and that is what likely is holding things up at this point in talks. The Herald writes that Lee could be a potential target for the Red Sox, as they have spent a ton already this offseason and could deal with his high price tag for the chance to win another World Series. Lee is coming off of an injury and is 36 years old and he has a massive deal with $25 million coming this season and a $27 million option for next year.
