Have the Phillies and Cole Hamels hit a negotiating snag?
Phillies Assistant GM Scott Proefrock tells Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that the Phillies and Cole Hamels are unlikely to come to terms on a multi-year extension at this time and are instead focused on a one-year deal.
Hamels is arbitration eligible this season after finishing up a 3-year contract this past season. He stands to make $14 million or more through arbitration, but the Phillies are hoping it doesn’t get that far.
“We’ve had discussions with Cole,” Proefrock tells CSN. “Right now, we’re focused on a one-year deal.”
“There’s plenty of time down the road,” Proefrock said. “That’s all I’ll say. Right now we’re focused on a one-year arbitration deal.”
Proefrock also mentioned what he told us on 97.3 ESPN FM in South Jersey a few weeks ago; that Hamels, by all accounts, is happy in Philadelphia and wants to stay here long term. He and his wife, Heidi, have a family here and have their foundation set up in Philadelphia.
As Salisbury notes, there have been no indications of any trouble between the two sides, although the Phillies notoriously keep negotiations close to the vest.
If this report is indeed true, it will make for some trying times in the near future. They CANNOT (repeat, CANNOT) afford to lose the youngest of their three remaining aces. They must do everything in their power to give him a fair market value deal and keep him in Philadelphia for a long, long time. You’re looking at a possible Steve Carlton-like scenario here. Lefties this good come around once a generation (lucky for the Phillies, they have two of them right now, one being slightly older). It’s imperative Hamels remain in Phillies pinstripes for the foreseeable future.
Before we get crazy, let’s let the situation play out. Don’t jump off the bridge just yet, this could be just a small road block between the two sides.
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