Report: Cole Hamels reviewing offers from interested teams
It appears Cole Hamels is close to signing with a new team.
Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the former Phillie is “reviewing offers” following a recent showcase.
One talent evaluator in attendance told Jon Heyman of the New York Post at the time that Hamels looked “insanely good” in the showcase, which took place in Arlington, Texas in January.
This is Hamels’ third attempt at a major league comeback. His last full season came in 2019, where he pitched 141 2/3 innings with the Cubs. Numerous injuries limited Hamels to just 3 1/3 innings pitched since 2020.
Hamels last signed a deal with the Dodgers in August 2021, but he was unable to complete his first simulated outing after experiencing shoulder pain and was placed on the 60-day injured list.
He’ll likely sign a minor league contract with a team that has at least one rotation spot up for grabs. The Phillies technically have an open competition for the No. 5 spot, but the club is on record saying they plan on allocating it to a “youngster.” Andrew Painter, the top pitching prospect in baseball, could win the job out of camp with a strong spring.
It’s unclear if Hamels is interested in pitching out of the bullpen, but considering that the Phillies have three high-leverage lefties in Jose Alvarado, Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm along with waiver claim Andrew Vasquez and non-roster invitee Ben Bowden in camp, it’s unlikely the Phillies would take a look at him as a reliever.
In other words, there’s not a clear path for Hamels to make the 2023 Phillies and it would be shocking if Hamels ends up back with the club he spent the first ten years of his career with.
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