Reports: Phillies get six-year, $144 million deal done with pitcher Cole Hamels
The Phillies and pitcher Cole Hamels have reached agreement on the second-richest contract ever given to a starter, according to multiple reports.
Reports: Phillies get six-year, $144 million deal done with pitcher Cole Hamels
Jonathan Tannenwald
Filed Under: Baseball
Cole Hamels has reportedly reached agreement on a six-year deal with the Phillies. (Jim Mone/AP)
The Phillies and pitcher Cole Hamels have reached agreement on the second-richest contract ever given to a starter, according to multiple reports.
The deal is a six-year pact worth $144 million, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
The contract would be second only to the seven-year, $161 million contract that the New York Yankees gave to CC Sabathia in 2008.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal was first to report the contract agreement late Tuesday night.
The deal ends rampant trade speculation that has surrounded Hamels in recent weeks as the Phillies have faded in the National League playoff race.
The team is expected to hold a press conference later today to officially announce the agreement with Hamels.
Comments (45)
There are no shut-down pitchers, with the possible exception of Verlander. Maddox has retired and cloning hasn't been perfected yet. This is the cost of a top-of-the-line starter. We're lucky to have him.— Baggio- My very point exactly. Hamels may in fact be done after 2014 with his elbow. I never would have given any pitcher with his history, not even Koufax, 6 years. Financial suicide for Amaro.— Mark1npt
- I was sure he would walk unless the Phillies outspent the market. I think they did and I'm glad they did. This contract will work out well for them. $144 million is enough that he couldn't be sure of getting that on the market this winter.— jtj06
- sorry, as i said, he is a very good pitcher, a 1A or a 2, you wanna call him an ace? ok, but he is not a justin verlander ace, or a roy halliday ace. and should not command the second highest contract in basball history, ridiculous.— deatheater
@DameB You said: "I'm old enough to have seen Koufax, Carlton, Gibson, Seaver, etc -- and Hamels is definitely not in the same league." Are you serious? You are comparing Hamels to 4 Hall of Famers at this stage of his career? I let you in on a little secret. With the exception of Verlander and Halladay, there is no pitcher in baseball in the same league as the 4 Hall of Famers you mentioned.
Comment removed.- Lefty was the best and he give Mr Doc a workout that he can't handle.
— joedig22 - Good to hear they signed him. I'm really glad that some of you are not the GM. Go Phil's— bobf876
- This move is as much a statement about the team as it is a tribute to the worth of Cole Hamels. What I am hearing is: "This downswing is a temporary abberation and we are committed to winning over the next 6 years." Whether it is reality or fantasy only the future will tell. The scary issue is: Are Lee and Halliday on the downside of their career or is it just that perfect storm where, if anything can go wrong, it did. The Phillies of the past 3 days are fun to watch for the first time this year. This is the team that says, "It ain't over till it's over." It doesn't matter any more if they win this year; it is getting back the mojo that carried the team since 2007. The goal should be to get back over .500 and whatever happens, happens. I also believe that the contract issue was affecting the whole team. This answers the question, "Does management believe in this team?" Losers do not get this kind of contract for any player! Now, let's get down to the business of re-tooling the offense. Ryan Howard will be back. His swing is real again. Speed? We can carry a slow guy who can drive in runs the way he does. Utley? The jury is still out but he is showing flashes of the guy who was "The Man." We need a third baseman. We need a left fielder and probably a center fielder. Can it be done? That will make the next week interesting and the winter the most challenging of the last decade.— gotedge
- I'm old enough to have seen Koufax, Carlton, Gibson, Seaver, etc -- and Hamels is definitely not in the same league. But in this age of mediocrity, and the Phillies' insane approach to payroll, it's no surprise (sadly) that Hamels lands his payout. More money invested in pitching. The lop-sided approach to the roster continues and it will yield the same result. I hope there are impending trades on the horizon.— DameB
- You're wrong. In statistics that compare across eras, such as ERA+ and WHIP, Hamels is right up there. His career ERA+ is 125. Carlton: 115, Seaver: 127, Gibson: 127. His career WHIP is 1.139. Carlton: 1.247, Gibson: 1.188, Seaver: 1.121. Cole is right there with those guys and is a reliable, workhorse starter for his era. Only Sandy Koufax stands head and shoulders above in stats, but hopefully Cole is no Koufax because then he'd be done after 2014. — jtj06
- You know, the offense was a lot worse back then too. Every team had a Del Maxvill and Booby Wine in their line-up. — mwcnabb
- I like Hamels, I hope the signing is true, I hope he doesn't have a no trade clause because in 3 years we'll be praying we can unload his bloated contract and his deteriorating elbow to anyone we can. Just too many years and too much money for 12-14 wins every year. The game has officially gone totally, mindlessly, batsh*t crazy if these numbers and the signing are true.— Mark1npt
- You still use wins to determine a pitcher's value? How about preventing batters from getting on base which Hamels excels at. — mwcnabb
- NOw...get a bullpen...— STEVE5444
- i'd love to hear the know-it-all talk-just-to-be-heard national sportswriters and conjecture-mongers stand up and say they were wrong now that he has indeed signed with the phillies. They all act like they knew...and they had not a clue...he was never leaving because he did not want to and the phillies would not let him! Seth Everett is an idiot...— roddieb
- keep pence, get rid of polly, utley ( or put him in the outfield),victorino, should not have brought rollins back either— Iknowyourider
- All I can say is..
YES !!!
— Boto - Great, now go out and get an Outfielder, a Third Baseman and Bullpen help for next year!— younged
- I'd be willing to drive Polanco to Baltimore myself, but I'd be afraid he'd slam the door on his fingers or strain his lower back further getting in and out of the car..........— DelawareRiverRat
- pending physical— dwilly
- Praise The Lord!!— Joseph DeSantis
- For everyone bemoaning the Hamels signing and saying that his ERA is career over 3 etc. Look at CC's numbers. He's had 1 year with an ERA under 3 (2.70) and that was before he signed with the Yankees. These expectations that every year a guy has to be sub 3 ERA is just dumb. Hamels is an ace and I'd put him up against anyone in Game 1 of a playoff series. He's got the stuff and the mind to be close to CC in just about every phase.— dmr528
- Pls no more Brown talk,
On bench last 2 nights. Ryno demands hustle. Brownie doing his JTrot act frequently.— NewMick314 - What are you talking about? Brown is still coming off injury. He twisted his knee and is still wearing a brace. He's day-to-day, available in emergency situations. He will be back in Philly soon to pick up where he left off, hitting .296 with a .398 OBP in his last 20 starts as a Phillie. — jtj06
- Thie thing I am enjoying most about this signing is reading the comments of the Dodgers fans on baseball boards crying that they didn't get Hamels. They were so certain he was leaving for the Dodgers in the offseason. As the stinkin' Dodgers fans shead tears, I love it. Also, the national media was so certain Hamels wasn't resigning. So-called baseball experts. I laugh at them all.
- Way over paid...he has never lived up to expectations. He should be as good as Carlton with his stuff...but he's not in the same league...not even close.— mbutley
- If the Phillies signs Cole to this offer, they have no choice but to go over the luxury tax to fill in other positions to stay competitive--which I don't have problems with. Whatta a mix feeling ey? Pay him or lose him, and that goes for Victorino too.
Hey Reuben, I just wanna say good luck, we're all counting on you.— Pepe LePew - "to stay competitive" ?
"to STAY competitive" ?!?
have you watched the Phillies at all this year?— ekw555 - I will bet that Robbin Roberts is truning in hi's grave over that much money for a pitcher, wow...— Mack1945
5am this morning, espn says Phils deny Hamels is resigned.- The deal is not done.— road515
- and now i've checked some stats, hamels has had one year with an era under under 3. he is over 3 runs per game this season also. so again i don't understand why the lofty numbers talk with this guy. like he is in line for a cy young. all of the leaders in era this season are under 3. with the leader being at 2.11. hamels 3.23. i don't get it.— deatheater
- hey i'm sorry, i think cole hamels is a quality pitcher, but not worth this kind of money. the whole warm and fuzzy homegrown thing aside, are his numbers shutdown? aside from 2008, has this guy been roy halliday on a consistant basis. no. awful 2009, good but not great 2010 and 11. and after a solid start this year, it's been up and down to this point. i consider hamels a 1 on a so so team, a two on a great team. not worth sabathia numbers. but that said i know you have to overpay to keep him.— deatheater
- WOO HOO!— Reality Speaks
- Comment removed.
- Most of these make sense, but why dump Halladay and why keep Bastardo? — bergey66
- Now, time to get a young outfielder and shortstop/ third baseman. Pence and Victorino are goners. If we can trade for a set up man fine, too! Right now, Howard, Hamels, Ruiz, and Papelbon will have to lead the way. Lee must regain his form and Brown will now be given his chance. Perhaps Blanton could also fetch a decent prospect.— GOLDY2007
- no;gas,tolls AND dinner on me...polanco breaks down yet again,and if some other team wants him,then by God they shall have him...goodbye and good riddance polly..— jabac
- This report simply cannot be true because I have read hundreds and hundreds of posts on this site over the last few years that were ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that Hamels was gone, that he wanted to go to LA or San Diego, that he wanted out of this sinking ship. I mean, there was ZERO DOUBT from so many for so long. How could they all possibly be that wrong? ...Well, at least they are all now carefully re-evaluating their reasoning and thought processes and we will surely never see such absolutely certain, totally unsupported, entirely erroneous statements here ever again. What a relief!— PhilaLogic
- I will own up to be one. However, you can also look up that I said 6 or 7 years around $140M would keep him.
Hamels is on record as to saying he wanted to test FA'y. Hamels is on record saying he found the LA SoCal option to be appealing. Hamels is on record as to saying money north of Cain was the only way he would stay.
Well, that's about where we are.
Hardly unsupported. What a relief.— 24sDad - you are awesome - can i get real-time updates and quotes from you... — roddieb
- Hunter Pence with his $13 million is outta here (in my Harry Kalas voice).
Ride or die with Domonic Brown for the rest of the season.
Orioles want Polanco...I'm willing to drive him to Baltimore myself (gas and tolls on me).— EmanuelP - It's about time!— T-Money
- glad the Phillies used common sense and did not trade the best arm in the national league. — DarkFriar
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