The Philadelphia Phillies may look at a Cole Hamels trade this season and teams like the NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays could be potential options for the team before the trading deadline this summer and this comes as Ruben Amaro Jr. may trade Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon.
Hamels has been the top trade target in baseball since the offseason and it's very likely that he gets traded this year. Hamels had a strong season with the Phillies last year and the team is holding tight for the right package of players to make a deal. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Phillies are "waiting with open arms" for the right deal and right now the Red Sox appear to be the favorites if they want to make the move.
The Phillies reportedly will pay for part of Hamels' contract to get a deal done and that could help get some top prospects from other teams. The Red Sox made an offer earlier in the offseason, but they reportedly do not want to add Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart in the deal. The Phillies willingness to eat money could get them to add one of those prospects to a package for Hamels. The Red Sox pitching has not been as good as expected and that is one reason why they are in the mix for Hamels.
The Red Sox brought in Rick Porcello this offseason and they also have Joe Kelly and Wade Miley along with Clay Buchholz, but overall the rotation has not been great. Miley has been up and down and if the struggles continue in the rotation, the Red Sox could step up and make the trade for Hamels. Last season Hamels went 9-9, but he had an ERA under 2.50 and he is just 31 years old, giving him a number of prime years left as a starting pitcher.
Hamels has never dealt with any major injuries and that could make him a target for a number of teams through the season. The Yankees rotation is looking much weaker without Masahiro Tanaka and there is a chance he could be out for over a month. The Dodgers had Brandon McCarthy go down with Tommy John surgery after injuring his elbow, while the Blue Jays lost Marcus Stroman in the lead up to the season.
The Cardinals also could be in the mix, as Adam Wainwright is out for the season with an Achilles injury. The Padres were mentioned in the offseason even after signing James Shields, as they have shown a willingness to go all in for this season. The Yankees may not have the farm system to make the deal and that is why CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes that the Red Sox are the favorites for the deal. The team has the deepest farm system of the teams involved and they could match up well in a package with the Phillies.
The Yankees want to wait and see what happens to Tanaka and that could keep them out of the mix. Hamels has not been great yet this season, going 1-3 with a 4.14 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
