Cole Hamels reportedly signs minor league deal with hometown team

Cole Hamels is signing a minor league contract with his hometown San Diego Padres, per Robert Murray of FanSided. The deal includes an invite to major league spring training and a $2 million salary if he makes the big league roster, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Hamels, 39, attended Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego and grew up a Padres fan. Ironically, Hamels was asked about possibly playing for the Padres back in 2012 before he signed an extension with the Phillies and had this to say about the organization’s commitment to winning:

“It’s not the fans. They alienate their own fans by not keeping guys around, especially the guys they develop,” Hamels told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “They won’t keep an Adrian Gonzalez or go get that big-name guy. That’s just hard on a fan.”

Well, a lot has changed in San Diego. The Padres now carry one of the highest payrolls in baseball and have signed nine free agents to major league contracts this offseason. Their rotation depth chart also includes Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, Nick Martinez, Seth Lugo and now Michael Wacha, who reportedly signed a one-year contract with a pretty unique structure.

With the rotation depth San Diego currently possesses, it’s presumed that Hamels has to have at least some interest in pitching out of the bullpen if he was willing to sign on with the Padres.

To make the club, Hamels has to both prove that he can stay healthy over the long haul and pitch well enough to earn a spot on a stacked Padres roster. If he does end up in the big leagues with San Diego and stays healthy, Hamels could take the mound in Philly in the middle of the July, when the Padres visit the Phillies from July 14 to the 16.

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