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Sunday, March 2, 2008
Hamels: Phillies contract is "low blow"

Cole Hamels has one hope: that Phillies fans don't wake up tomorrow thinking he is greedy.

That said, the left-hander made it very clear today that he feels disrespected with the $500,000 salary the Phillies renewed his contract at today.

Calling it a "low-blow," Hamels said he was "caught off-guard" with the gap between what he and agent John Boggs felt was a fair reward for his performance last season, when he went 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA and 177 strikeouts.

Hamels also said that he will likely remember the perceived slight down the road.

"They do want to keep you happy, and that will affect down the line with certain things that come up because you can’t just all of a sudden throw everything out at (a player) at the last second and think that’s really going to make him happy," Hamels said, "because he’s still got check marks for what they didn’t do in the years before."

Hamels said he was seeking a couple hundred thousand dollars more than the Phillies offered.

"I felt like it wasn’t necessarily equal compensation for what I do and for what I can do," Hamels said.

Stay tuned for more on this. . .

Posted by David Murphy @ 5:35 PM  Permalink | 13 comments
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Comments
Posted by jzwhitworth 06:04 PM, 03/02/2008
If Hammels continues with the way he pitched today, he won't have to worry about the Phillies signing him to anything.
Posted by BigRay 06:29 PM, 03/02/2008
Before you start crying, talk to Ryan about his pay while MVP...Tell the GM you're a "leader" like he called Chase & you'll get your paper early.
Posted by DennisAtwell 07:04 PM, 03/02/2008
I think this kid is going to be a problem down the line. All of these players want to make the big payday when they still have not won anything. The kid thinks he's Steve Carlton without paying his dues. He won 15 games last year, lets see how he holds up in the long run. Funny how they forget the signing bonus the team paid out before they even put on a professional uniform.
Posted by MarcSouthJersey 07:25 PM, 03/02/2008
I wish these pro athletes would thing before they talk. Since when is someone giving you 500k a year to play a game considered an insult. Hamels really needs to get a taste of the real world. Grow up you child!
Posted by ChuckB 08:26 PM, 03/02/2008
I think players consider it an insult when they see what others around them are being paid. Adam Eaton gets $7.2 million and you really blame Cole for feeling underwhelmed by the Phillies offer? Geez, they gave Rod Barajas five times that much last year!
Posted by ThePhillyGuy 09:28 PM, 03/02/2008
Isn't this the same guy who said last season that he would come off the DL to pitch if the Phils 'were still in it?' Nice teammate.
Posted by jroll 10:26 PM, 03/02/2008
Hamels is finnally telling the phillies management what they are, a bunch a penny pinching idiots. They throw money at morons and keep money away from real talent
Posted by hamace 10:50 PM, 03/02/2008
I think this is just an example of the way all players really feel. Hamels just obviously likes to tell it as it is, and not pull punches like most players are. Last year it was the chiropractor, this year it's more money. The "check marks" are building up.
Posted by Diamond Jim Brady 12:57 AM, 03/03/2008
Hey, he's gotta put food on the table for his family and pay for his Chiropractor!
Posted by JOHN 01:37 AM, 03/03/2008
Trade Eaton with the agreement the Phils will pay 2/3rds of his salary for his new team. Pay Hamels the other 1/3, which is much more than he's making now. Then all we need is for someone to buy the club who actually wants to win a world series - not the mystery Scrooge's who own it now.
Posted by davegas 02:00 AM, 03/03/2008
The Phillies should pay him the same money they raised JC Romero to. i don't see any reason this guy shouldn't make a million dollars this year. If they treat him like they've done to others, he wont be here long term anyway.
Posted by Delaware Jim 02:45 AM, 03/03/2008
Here we go again with the billionaire cheapskates. These owners are certainly not major league quality. Somehow they manage to alienate the best players, over trifling amounts that they could easily afford. It is definitely time for a buy-out.
Posted by kort99 08:54 AM, 03/03/2008
Unions can't have it both ways. You can't hold teams to ungodly long term guaranteed contracts after a certain amount of performance, and yet cry during your first year or 2 in the league as you work your way up.
13 comments
About David Murphy
David Murphy joined the Daily News as its Phillies beat writer in February of 2008. Born in Upper Merion and raised in the Poconos, he attended college at La Salle University before taking jobs with the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun-News and the St. Petersburg ( Fla. ) Times.
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