With so few things going right this season for the Philadelphia Phillies, the last player they need to lose is their #1 pitcher, but they will for at least one start. The Phillies have announced that ace Cole Hamels will miss Friday's start against the St. Louis Cardinals because of a mild strain in his right hamstring. The Phillies made the announcement via Twitter Thursday morning.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that Hamels's health is "critical" with the July 31 trade deadline approaching in just six weeks. Hamels is already the subject of many trade rumors dating back to last season. Zolecki writes,
"Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. said Wednesday he is hopeful the Phillies can make some trades to speed up the team's rebuilding process. Hamels is the team's most valuable piece, so they must hope the injury does not linger and Hamels returns to the rotation shortly."
Hamels is 5-5 with a 2.96 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for the Phillies, who enter play on June 18 in last place in the N.L. East at 22-45. The Phillies are 27th in the Majors in ERA at 4.32, and only Hamels and Aaron Harang are under 4.00 in the Phillies' rotation. In fact, the next best is Sean O'Sullivan at 5.08.
Still, it would take quite a bit for a contender to land Hamels, who has four years and $90.5 million left on his contract. The receiving team may have to give up some top prospects to land him. Hamels is still in his prime now, but he will finish that contract at age 35.
Teams in 'win-now" mode, though, may willingly take that chance. The Chicago Cubs are in contention for a wild card berth for the first time since 2009. The New York Yankees, surprisingly to some, are in divisional contention, and they are always in "win-now" mode. They are also in dire need of starting pitching, and they have the money and enough influence to make a deal.