Three years and one day to the point in time when Cole Hamels no-hit the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Hamels is headed to Chicago to bolster the Cubs’ rotation just as the pennant race heats up:

Hamels has recently resembled the end-of-career Steve Carlton, suffering a number of nasty beatings at least some of which were likely due to the heat in Arlington, Texas — a place where his crafty style was probably never really going to play anyway:

But as we all know, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics:

https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/1022651219981082626

So you’re saying there’s a chance! Regardless, this is a masterstroke by the Cubs, who per the ESPN News Services post summarizing the trade didn’t part with too much to take a flyer on a former World Series Most Valuable Player.

Moreover, it’s not like Hamels is being asked to beat out elite talents at the back of the Cubs’ rotation. “Hamels would likely slide into the Cubs’ rotation in place of either Tyler Chatwood or Mike Montgomery. Chatwood walked six batters in the Cubs’ 7-6 walk-off win over Arizona on Thursday, giving him 85 walks in 94 innings.” Montgomery, for his part, has been a long reliever for much of his career.

We can agree that it would have been a lot of fun to have Hamels back in Philadelphia for one more playoff run, which seemed plausible not too long ago:

That sweet dream is dead, but even the hardest-hearted of us can’t begrudge Hamels playing for a loaded Cubs team that won the title two years ago and is probably the best team in the National League.

Deadspin had it about right: The Cubs got lucky to land Hamels now. “If Hamels can show even just a few flashes of his pre-2017 form, and some of the other guys on the mound can get back to normal, the Cubbies are rocking a decent rotation with the playoffs in sight,” wrote Avery Yang.

Just please don’t let him win a Game 3 here in October to eliminate the Phillies. We’re not ready for that.