In the wake of the MLB non-waiver trade deadline last week, the Chicago Cubs have reportedly made a move to claim Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels off of waivers.
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As the MLB enters the time of year where teams put a lot of their players on revocable trade waivers in order to ensure roster flexibility prior to the waiver deadline on Aug. 31, the Cubs have reportedly claimed Hamels from the Phillies, MLB.com reports.
The Cubs have not commented on the rumors, but it is possible that the team indeed made a move for Hamels. If the report is accurate, and Hamels in fact was claimed, the Phillies have 48 hours to work out a deal with the Cubs or pull Hamels off of the revocable waivers.
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Hamels, 30, is due $90 million between the 2015-18 seasons and he was one of the many veteran players that the Phillies were shopping prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, however it was a quiet trade season for Philadelphia and the team hung onto Hamels and all of its other veterans.
With the team being in last place in the NL East, the Phillies were expected to have a fire sale at the deadline but ended up being "frustrated" with what teams offered them in return for their veterans and opted to stand pat.
It was widely speculated that the Phillies weren't actually planning on legitimately dealing Hamels since their request for a return was an over-the-top demand for four or five top prospects, which no team would do for a 30-year-old pitcher.
Due to this, it is unlikely that the Phillies will end up working out a deal with the Cubs and Hamels is likely to be pulled back off of the revocable waivers.
Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has made it a point to improve his pitching staff and the team is equipped with quality prospects, but it's unlikely the Phillies' asking price for Hamels will end up leading to a deal.
Hamels, who is 6-6 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.107 WHIP and 139 strikeouts this season, has a no-trade clause, but the Cubs are reportedly not on the list of teams he would veto a trade to.
Hamels was a first round pick (No. 17 overall) for the Phillies in 2002 and is 105-80 in his career with a 3.30 ERA, 1.138 WHIP and 139 strikeouts.
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