After losing the Jon Lester sweepstakes to the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers may be getting ready to set their sights on a possible trade for Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels.
With Lester agreeing to a six-year $155 million pact with the Cubs Wednesday, ESPN Los Angeles reports that an agent close to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman believes the team will aggressively pursue a deal for Hamels.
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said at the MLB winter meetings that L.A. is looking at their options through free agency and possible trades for a pitcher to fill the void left by the retirement of Josh Beckett, though he said it could be difficult.
"This isn't a true market with buyers and sellers," Zaidi said per ESPN. "A lot of teams are playing the middle right now."
The Phillies finished in last place in the National League East last season with a 73-89 record, missing the playoffs for the third straight year, and are likely to be considered sellers right now.
Philadelphia has an aging roster with a lot of big contracts and could be looking to unload Hamels and his four-year $100 million pact.
Los Angeles could also pursue a trade with the Phillies for shortstop Jimmy Rollins now that Hanley Ramirez has departed for the Boston Red Sox.
Philadelphia has said it wants three top prospects that are ready to play at the MLB level or will be MLB-ready soon in return for Hamels, so it remains to be seen if the Dodgers will be able to pull the trigger on a deal. Hamels also has a 20-team no-trade clause that could become an issue.
The Dodgers are coming off of a season where they won the NL West for the second straight campaign with a 94-68 record before losing in four games to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series.
Los Angeles is hopeful to add Hamels to a starting rotation that already consists of reigning NL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu.
Hamels, 30, had a solid season in 2014, going 9-9 and posting a 2.46 ERA that trailed only Kershaw in the NL.
Hamels is 108-83 in 275 career games, all with the Phillies, with a 3.27 ERA, 1.142 WHIP and 1,707 strikeouts. The left-hander is a three-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion and he won the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008.
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