Report: Phillies Preparing “Substantial Offer” to Cole Hamels

image from mobilwi.typepad.comI thought you said "substantial offering!"

POSITIVE NEWS! 

According to a report by Jayson Stark last night, the Phillies are preparing a “substantial offer” to Cole Hamels to see if they can sign him in the next two weeks before the trade deadline.

A source tells Stark that even though the Phillies are right up against the $178 million luxury-tax threshold, they still believe they can sign Hamels and stay under the threshold next year.

These reports always make me laugh. What, exactly, does preparing an offer mean? It’s not a fruit basket. It’s a contract. The Phillies have undoubtedly been preparing an offer for the last five months, perhaps longer. As we learned with the Cliff Lee signing, these things often go down in informal conversations and text messages. It’s not Jerry Maguire. Hamels and Tom Cruise aren’t waiting by a fax machine waiting for an offer sheet to come through, screaming show me the money! If Ruben Amaro fires the right number into his battery pack-cased iPhone, then Hamels' agent, John Boggs, will call back. It's that simple.

The question is: How much will Hamels get? Right now, our millions meter is set at $146 million, which would pay Hamels almost $20 million more than Matt Cain, who received a six-year, $127 million deal in April. Stark doesn’t give a figure, but, obviously, cites the current market as a reasonable starting point. 

The most interesting part of his report were quotes from a rival executive and an unknown Phillie:

There has been no indication the two sides have made any progress toward a new deal for months. However, executives of two clubs that spoke to Phillies' officials say Philadlephia has been expressing a surprising level of optimism it can get the 28-year-old left-hander signed this month.

"They're trying to sign him," said one of those executives. "And they think it's going to happen. At least that's what I was told." 

And that, according to one of Hamels' teammates, is no negotiating ploy.

"If Cole has his way," Hamels' friend said, "he'll wait 'till the end of the year, go out there and see what he's worth and then ask the Phillies, 'OK, what do YOU think I'm worth?' " 

 

That sounds like Jimmy Rollins to me… but that’s just a guess. 

Read Stark’s story here.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

26 Responses

  1. Apparently they wanted to give Cole a 4 year deal and that’s where things really fucked up.
    Ruben Amaro logic: Let’s give a 5 year deal with a 6th year vest to a 32 year old. Yet we’ll give the 28 year old who’s not even in his prime yet a 4 year deal. Perfect sense.

  2. Re-signing Cole will inject some hope & energy back into this moribund team & fan base.
    And then they can go ahead & trade away Shane.

  3. Yeah but unlike Jimmy who is a shell of his formal self, Cole is entering his prime and is already established as one of the games best left handed pitchers. The open market may pay him more than what Rube will.

  4. Give this man his money.
    How can this organization be serious about competing now and in the future if they allow the youngest member of their core, and the best FA pitcher available this year (fuck Grienke’s depressed ass) ?
    Lock him up, then send Pence, Victorino, Blanton, Pierre, Polanco, and send anyone else worth a cunt hair in trade right outta here.
    I will suck your dick for a double cheese burger.

  5. Why don’t they just say “we are getting ready to get ready”. This is ridiculous.

  6. Just had a bran muffin at dunkin donuts with my sources.. I paid… now onto the goodies…hearing Hamels to Phillies wil lget done…. IF… Phillies give him 7 years at 150 million….. some good stuff is cooking o nthe stove wil lbe back with more
    cheers

  7. okay got more off of the stove… just had an oreo coolata with my sources…. they are tasty for sure… hearing now that it will take 10 years and upwards of 300 million to sign cole
    cheers

  8. Eklund – Ashid Mapants who works behind the counter at DD doesn’t count as a source.

  9. Hmm it appears i have been mislead then.. as well as on the calorie count on that Large oreo coolata… 250 calories my butt!
    \
    cheers!

  10. This is a total front. Its not going to be a new deal, Rubes will offer Cole the same deal they did 2 months ago. Cole of course will reject it and get traded. Rubes is just trying to save face with the fans and make Cole out to be the villian.

  11. Zero buyers remorse on Howard. I’m not even close to a huge fan of his, but at the time it was the right move. You can’t bring up his injury, because it happened after he signed. As we saw with Pujols & Fielder, it would’ve taken 10 years at an average of AT LEAST $22 million a season. It’s weird, but we got off cheap giving him only 5 years at $125 million.

  12. Sign Hamels. Melt that statue in Happy Valley.
    I don’t understand how people can say the Howard deal was a mistake. No one foresaw him tearing his Achilles, and other power hitters got MORE money than the big piece afterwards. IMHO, They did good with that one.
    Shane should get traded for prospects to a team needed a lead-off hitter, bring up Dom Brown and make him full-time, inject some youth in this club.
    Pence was doing fine as long as he was hitting behind Howard and not being the 4-spot. He’s not a clean-up hitter.
    Lee has a no-trade clause and there’s not a chance that he is going to waive it.
    Jesus its like these comments section are where the WIP/Fanatic callers come to bitch who have no clue about the game, or what actually goes on.

  13. Amaro and others are pondering signing Hamels why? I just don’t get it. Give him the damn contract he deserves based on his performance and move on to rebuild the rest of our team please.

  14. This team was pissing their biggest pieces of the first half and they had a bullpen that blows. Pence isn’t a 4 hitter he is a 3 or 5 hitter. Victorino and who ever else is needed should be traded to texas for that 3rd baseman. Hamels will get done. Dom Brown was playing great in center before he got hurt. Give him a shot there as the everyday player before giving up on him. Polonco should be a bench player or traded. Piere should be traded. Blanton should be traded so they can call up Cloyd. If they can win every series then they may be back in it.

  15. “Victorino and who ever else is needed should be traded to texas for that 3rd baseman”
    Wow! That is such an amazing idea! I wonder why the front office hasn’t thought of that! So, and just so I understand this in my head, we trade an underperforming centerfielder and “who ever (SIC) else is needed” for one of the best 3B prospects in baseball? I’m guessing these additional mystery players will be other underperforming bench-types or overpaid veterans, right? As a plus, Texas doesn’t really have anyone to play center and Shane would be a total upgrade! It is a total win-win.

  16. Give Cole whatever he wants. Let him make up his own number and pay him. Let Shane go and resign Bourn to replace him.

Comments are closed.