One of the biggest names on the trade market is now on the move. Cole Hamels spent the past decade with the Philadelphia Phillies and been through it all; from the highs of a 2008 World Series MVP award to the lows the Phillies have battled through the past four years.
Hamels is headed to the Texas Rangers along with reliever Jake Diekman and $9.5M cash. In return, Philadelphia receives five prospects and Matt Harrison. MLB.com's TR Sullivan was first to break the story and details on players involved followed periodically.
The 31-year-old Hamels listed the Rangers as one of the 10 team teams not on his no-trade list. Teams that were on his no-trade list would have to pcik up his $20M option in 2019 being picked up to be considered. With that requirement now out of the picture, Hamels has $90 million remaining over the next four seasons. He joins a Rangers team that sits at 48-52 and is more focused on making a run in 2016 when ace Yu Darvish will be returning from Tommy John surgery, and give them a strong trio with a healthy Martin Perez.
In 20 starts this season for the Phillies, Hamels held a 3.64 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 137/39 K/BB ratio in 128 2/3 innings pitched. Of course he will be remembered for his final start for the Phillies, a 13-strike out, no-hitter at Wrigley Field. It was the perfect way to end his tenure with the Phillies, giving their fans one final highlight to remind them of what he did for the franchise.
Texas also received Diekman, a 28-year-old lefty reliever with an atrocious 5.15 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 36 2/3 innings pitched.
While the Phillies did not have significant leverage in trade talks with everyone on the planet knowing Hamels needed to be dealt and the Tigers putting David Price on the market, Philadelphia deserves credit for pulling in an impressive return.
The headliner of the five prospects is Jorge Alfaro, ranked as BaseballAmerica's 67th-best prospect, MLB.com's 69th-overall prospect and FanGraphs 53rd overall prospect. The 22-year-old catcher has spent the year at double-A Frisco, where he has hit .253 with five home runs and a .432 slugging percentage in 190 at-bats. Alfaro has two things that scouts especially love; great, raw power and a cannon arm with athleticism to play at different positions. Behind the plate he relies heavily on his arm and Baseball America's JJ Cooper believes he will be transitioned to right field. The power has come along slowly but should continue to develop over time.
Alfaro is certainly the headliner but fans in Philadelphia should also be excited about outfield prospect Nick Williams, who was teammates with Alfaro for double-A Frisco. After hitting .283 with 13 home runs and 74 RBI's jumping around between Rookie ball, A-Ball and a cup of coffee in double-A last year, Williams has been with Frisco all season. In 377 at bats, Williams' batting average has jumped up to .300 with a .357 on-base percentage, 13 home runs and 45 RBI's.
He entered the season as MLB.com's 64th overall prospect and FanGraphs 136th overall prospect. Baseball America did not have him in their pre-season Top 100 but Cooper tweeted Williams would easily make it in the Top 100 today. As the 21-year-old continues to improve, he could be a middle of the order bat in a few years for the Phillies.
Philadelphia also received right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson in the deal, a 21-year-old who has spent the 2015 season with Alfaro and Williams in double-A Frisco. He entered the season as FanGraphs 29th-overall prospect, thanks to a combined 3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 130/47 K/BB ratio in 129 2/3 innings between high-A and double-A. He was traded to the Rangers in July last year in exchange for Joakim Soria.
Thompson has had a little rougher stint through double-A this season, with a 4.72 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and just a 78/30 K/BB ratio in 87 2/3 innings. He looked better in June with a 2.95 ERA in four starts, but the issues came back in three July starts with 15 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings and a 6/6 K/BB ratio. His pitching repertoire would certainly be regarded as average but if he can improve the command, he could be a nice No.4 starter for the Phillies and cheap, young No.4 starters are valuable.
Alec Asher is 23-year-old right-handed pitcher who has spent time in double-A Frisco and triple-A Round Rock this season. After compiling a 2.90 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 2013 in high-A, the jump to double-A saw his ERA jump to 3.80 but his WHIP dropped to 1.11. This season, Asher has a 4.73 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in triple-A, though the biggest concern is the amount of home runs he has allowed. In just 64 2/3 innings for the Round Rock Express, Asher has allowed a whopping 16 home runs. In 430 career innings pitched in the minors, Asher has allowed 51 home runs.
25-year-old Jerad Eickhoff is another right-handed pitching prospect being sent to the Rangers. After a 4.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 17 home runs allowed and a 144/52 K/BB ratio in 154 1/3 innings for Double-A Frisco last year, the Rangers bumped him up to Triple-A in 2015 and he has struggled. In 17 starts this season, Eickoff holds a 4.25 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 93/33 K/BB ratio in 101 2/3 innings pitched. Like many young starters, his command must continue to improve and his secondary pitches will get better over time in order to reach his potential as a No.4 or No.5 starter.
Philadelphia will also receive Harrison in the deal, a left-handed pitcher who was excellent in 2012 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 32 starts for the Rangers, but has been limited to 44 innings combined over the past three seasons. Harrison had spinal fusion surgery in June of last year to try and keep his baseball career alive. He returned from the disabled list on July 8, making his first start in over a year, but holds a 6.75 ERA in three starts. While he showed progress against the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field in his second start with zero runs allowed in six innings, he allowed six runs the following start against the Yankees.
Philadelphia can take it slow with the 29-year-old and make sure his back is in the best condition possible, but there are rotation spots they need to be filled. It's possible a change of scenery could help him, but returning to his 2012 numbers after spinal fusion surgery seems risky.
Fantasy Spin:
While Citizens Bank Park isn't exactly pitcher friendly, Hamels will face a bit of a transition in his move to Globe Life Park in Arlington. Hamels has allowed 12 home runs this season in 128 2/3 innings pitched and 20-plus home runs in 2010, '12 and '13. After allowing just 14 home runs last season, Hamels will likely return to 20-plus home runs allowed total. While there could be an uptick in ERA, Hamels remains a fantasy ace that you can count on for strikeouts, quality starts and now more wins with a more potent Rangers' lineup. Just keep in mind that Hamels will now face designated hitters instead of starting pitchers in his starts, so that will make his matchups just a little tougher.