MLB trade rumors: Cole Hamels wants Phillies to deal him to contender

Justin McGuire

MLB trade rumors: Cole Hamels wants Phillies to deal him to contender image

Baseball's offseason rumor mill is often more about churning out quantity than quality, so we’ll try our best to help you figure out which rumors are at least based in reality. 

The rumor: Phillies ace Cole Hamels would "love to be traded this winter," according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

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The rationale: The Phillies are, well, not good. The team has gone 73-89 each of the past two seasons, and it doesn't appear things are going to turn around any time soon. The long-awaited rebuilding phase is here.

Hamels, who turns 31 next month, is a former World Series MVP who wants to play for a contender again. "The Phillies want to trade him, and, certainly nothing against the city or the loyal fan base, but Hamels would love to help facilitate their franchise makeover," Nightengale reports.

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The reality: The Phillies want to trade Hamels, one of the game's top pitchers. Hamels wants to be traded. Plenty of teams are interested.

Despite all that, a deal appears unlikely.

Problem No. 1: Phils GM  Rubén Amaro, Jr. is "looking for at least three top prospects, two that can play right now and another that isn’t far away," Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports.

Problem No. 2: Hamels has four years and $96 million left on his contract.

Teams like the Cubs or Dodgers would love to have Hamels. But signing free agent Jon Lester would cost them money. Signing Max Scherzer would cost them money and a draft pick. Acquiring Hamels would cost them money and three top prospects. Both teams have good farm systems but don't want to deplete them. The Red Sox are on Hamels' no-trade list. The Yankees don't have the prospects. And so on.

Unless Amaro comes down significantly in his demands (or is willing to eat a good bit of Hamels' salary), Hamels will be a Phillie in 2015.

Justin McGuire