Ruben Amaro Jr. valuing Cole Hamels as a pitcher and a trade chip
In an interview with MLB Network Radio, Ruben Amaro Jr. cited the diversity of Cole Hamels' value.
Everybody's on the trading block, as far as the Phillies offseason goes, but some people are more on it than others.
In an interview with MLB Network Radio, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. spouted his go-to lines regarding trades and the future - he'll do whatever he can to improve the club long term, etc., etc. But when asked about Cole Hamels, who is considered the Phillies' best player and already drawing interest from other clubs, Amaro acknowledged that swapping his ace for a gaggle of farmhands may not be in the team's future.
"There are more difficult decisions than others as far as moving certain players are concerned," Amaro said. "Cole is one of those guys in particular who can be a bridge to the future as well, because of the length of the contract, because of the quality of the pitcher... There's no need to go out and move him, there's no rush to go out and move him."
Amaro's price tag on some of his core players over the 2014 trade deadline was considered high, as other teams' general manager seem to leave negotiations with him shaking their heads. That was in regards to players like Marlon Byrd, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins - players considered to be near the end of their careers.
Hamels will only be 31 in 2015, so if Amaro's price tag on his older players is high, it sounds like he will have to be floored by an offer to relinquish Hamels.