Hamels Talks Free Agency, Chance of Trade

Leslie Gudel of CSNPhilly sat down with Cole Hamels to discuss what may or may not happen over the next few weeks and months. At some point, the trade talk will hit a fever pitch and it could result in Hamels pitching elsewhere this season. And sometime during the winter, Hamels will be free to sign with another team if he so chooses. There will be many suitors.

Hamels was rather candid, discussing myriad topics from pitching with Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay to a scenario that involves the Dodgers and Phillies bidding for his services.

When asked about the prospect of being traded and then coming back via free agency following the season, Hamels seemed open to it:

“That’s something I would never doubt, because of the situation [with the team struggling] and us obviously not being at the front of the pack. I can always leave and come back. When a team gets rid of you, I don’t think anybody looks at it as a slap in the face. I know Cliff didn’t. He pretty much showed the prime example of getting traded off before a [full] season and then coming back. I think that’s always a great possibility.  It’s an organization and I understand the business side and I won’t be offended.”

Gudel asked Hamels about the exploration of the open market. Cole said he’ll likely get to that point:

“It’s an experience on it’s own. Not everybody gets to experience free agency and if you have an option to do it, why not do it? Because if you do it, okay, you got to see what sort of hoopla is surrounding it and then you can always go back to the team that you originally wanted to be with to begin with. So, I don’t think it’s anything that’s too harsh.”

To read the entire post, click here.

It’s a solid read and shed some light into the situation Hamels has before him. It’s a situation that continues to evolve by the day as rumors surface and the Phillies fall farther behind in the division and the wild card.

One person that has spoken up about keeping Hamels around – a guy that holds some clout – is David Montgomery. The Phillies president spoke with Kevin Cooney of PhillyBurbs.com and made it very clear that he’s a game-changing pitcher and they want him back next season and beyond.

At this point, with the Phillies well out of the playoff picture, it probably makes sense to discuss his value with other teams. Ruben Amaro Jr. has a hell of a decision to make very soon, and one that could change the franchise for the next decade.