Cole Hamels rumors: Deal with the Chicago Cubs not happening right now
By Hayden Kane
The Chicago Cubs got the attention of the baseball world when they were awarded a waiver claim on Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels this week. People were understandably intrigued by the notion that the Cubs could be trading for Hamels in the midst of a flurry of activity that is generating genuine excitement on the North Side.
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That’s not going to happen, however, at least from the sounds of things. Furthermore, the fact that the Cubs put in that claim to have the exclusive chance to work out a trade with the Phillies this month actually made it less likely to happen. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times explains:
"In fact, the Cubs likely made a deal impossible in making the claim, because it assured the Phillies would have only a one-team market to shop the three-time All-Star with more than $100 million and four-plus years left on his contract."
Trades happen this time of year when the primary motivation for the selling team is to dump salary. If the Phillies deal Hamels, either now or this off-season, that will never be their primary motivation. And with only one team to negotiate with, the Phillies are going to ask for a godfather deal or decline to talk further. From Wittenmyer:
"A major league source said the Phillies sought one of the Cubs’ touted young shortstops in any package for Hamels, which would almost certainly mean recently acquired Addison Russell."
The Cubs just acquired Russell, formerly the top prospect in the Oakland Athletics’ system, in the deal this season that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A’s. That they would turn around and trade such a coveted player, even for Hamels, is highly unlikely.
This bit of news with Hamels, then, ends up being a flurry of buzz for nothing. The Phillies will wait until this winter when they can engage potential suitors in a bidding war to land their ace in a deal.