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Cole Hamels trade rumors: 5 best fits

By Brad Berreman

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 11: Cole Hamels #35 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 11, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 11: Cole Hamels #35 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 11, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Rich Schultz-Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Rich Schultz-Getty Images /

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Who says you can’t go home? Hamels was drafted by the Phillies in 2002 (1st round, 17th overall), and he spent his first nine-plus major league seasons there before being traded to the Rangers in 2015. Now the two teams have swapped places, with Texas already possibly looking to shed veterans while Philadelphia looks like a team on the rise with a bright future.

The Phillies are toward the top of the National League in ERA (3.34; second), WHIP (1.22; fourth) and K/BB ratio (2.73), with Aaron Nola (1.99 ERA), Nick Pivetta (10.4 K/9) and Jake Arrieta (2.59 ERA) leading the starting rotation. But there is a significant chink in Arrieta’s armor right now, with a career-low 5.8 K/9 through seven starts and a FIP (3.48) almost a full run above his ERA. Any regression from the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner will bring a potential need to fortify the rotation.

Hamels would also obviously bring postseason experience with him, mostly from his first stint with the Phillies (13 of 16 career playoff starts). If general manager Matt Klentak wants to make a move to bolster a potential run to a playoff spot, with the fifth-ranked minor league system in all of baseball entering this season at his disposal (via MLB Pipeline.com), it’s hard to see a better fit than Hamels if the price is right.

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