Cole Hamels rumors: Phillies want ‘four or five prospects’ for Hamels?
By Hayden Kane
The Philadelphia Phillies may or may not actually be open to the idea of trading ace starting pitcher Cole Hamels. But if they do end up dealing him, they expect to get a mega-haul in return.
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They did not deal him at last week’s deadline and they seem unlikely to trade him to a contender in a waivers deal between now and September 1st. Things might get more interesting this winter, however, especially if the Phillies are able to generate some bidding wars and negotiate with teams like the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers when they have more roster flexibility.
If those talks pick up steam, it sounds like Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies’ front office will expect a huge offer. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes the following about Philadelphia’s demands in a deal and the thought that the Red Sox might be able to meet them:
"The Phillies people have told me they would want four or five prospects for him. Kind of a high price tag, but the Red Sox have a bunch of redundant players at certain positions they could weed out."
The Red Sox have been thought to be a fit for a while now. The Dodgers could take a serious look because of their ability to absorb the money and to cover themselves against an odd clause in Zack Greinke‘s contract. It has also been suggested that the Chicago Cubs would make sense as a team to get in the mix.
For any of these teams to make this deal, they will have to understand the reality that the Phillies do not need to trade Hamels as a salary dump. They would only do so in the interest of rebuilding, and so they expect a bunch of young players in return to even consider the possibility.