22:18: Hamels’ deal would include a base salary of $2MM if he makes the MLB roster, Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press reports.
15:20: The Padres and the lefty cole hamels agree to minor league deal, reports Fan Sided’s Robert Murray. Hamels will reportedly receive an invite to Major League Baseball spring training once the deal is finalized. The lefty is represented by John Boggs & Associates.
Hamels, 39, is a wild card at this point in his career. He spent many years as one of the most reliable and consistent pitchers in the majors, but has barely pitched in the past three seasons. From 2006 through 2019, he logged just 2,700 innings with a 3.42 ERA in that time. He shot at least 132 frames in all 14 of those seasons and topped 180 in 11 of them. His ERA never went above 4.32 in any individual season and he held that mark below 4.00 in all but three of those years. He also pitched in the postseason in eight of those seasons, winning NLCS and World Series MVP honors in 2008 with the world champion Phillies.
But as mentioned, the story has changed in recent years. Hamels signed a one-year, $18 million contract with Atlanta for 2020, but was held back by a sore shoulder as the start of the season neared. The pandemic ended up putting everything on hold, giving him time to recover. However, once things escalated again, he was dealing with triceps tendonitis. He came off the disabled list in September and made one start, but then went back on the disabled list.
He did not sign with anyone in the subsequent offseason, eventually holding an exhibition in July 2021 to prove his health to interested clubs. The Dodgers signed him at the time, but he was ruled out for the season just a couple of weeks later because he had shoulder pain again. He didn’t pitch at all in 2022, and recently told the Associated Press that he underwent three surgeries last year, on his left shoulder, right knee and left foot. However, he still had his sights set on a comeback and held an exhibition for the scouts last month. The Fathers were connected with him and miguel wacha in rumors a few days ago and now they have added both pitchers to their roster.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Hamels at this point. That one-off start to 2020 is the only appearance for him in the last three years and he’s been under the knife quite a bit since. But since this is just a minor league deal, there’s no real risk to the Padres. They can take him to the camp and see if Hamels is able to return to normal.
Until recently, the club had a rather unbalanced rotation. joe musgrove, Yu Darvish and blake snell it provided them with a strong three front, but there were question marks behind them. The top candidates for backend positions in the rotation were Nicholas Martinez and Seth Lugo, who are not really established as starters. Martinez fared better out of the bullpen last year, while Lugo hasn’t really started since 2017. Wacha’s signing this week could help firm up the back of the rotation, as he posted a 3.32 ERA with the Red Sox. last year. year.
Hamels will try to prove his health and force his way into that mix. If Lugo or Martinez struggle to secure rotation spots, the Padres will need other options available. And there’s the inevitable pitching injuries to consider, too. They have other options listed such as Adrian Morejon, jay groome, Brent Honeywell Jr., reiss knehr, Ryan Times and Pedro Avila, but if Hamels is anything like his old self, he could just outdo all those guys. If he does, he’ll be pitching for his hometown team, having been born and raised in the San Diego area.
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