The San Diego Padres have made more high-impact moves this offseason than just about any other club, and they may not be done wheeling and dealing. They've been linked for a while to the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Cole Hamels, and they may have a player that will pique general manager Ruben Amaro's interest.
Padres still working hard to get a frontline SP. Worth noting: Ruben Amaro covets Andrew Cashner, and SD not on Cole Hamels' no-trade list.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 4, 2015
Several teams have shown interest in trading for Hamels, but Amaro's asking price has scared off most of the suitors. The Padres have consistently remained in the picture though, with most speculating they'd flip newly acquired outfielder Wil Myers for him.
Sources close to the Padres denied Myers was on the move, and now it's emerging that Cashner is a potentially key cog in a deal. The 28-year-old right-hander was 5-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 123.1 innings of work.
There are questions about Cashner's durability as he's never pitched more than 175 innings in any season, and his strikeouts have dipped since setting down more than 10 per nine innings in 2012.
Last season Hamels pitched like an ace for the last-place Phillies despite an underwhelming 9-9 record. He posted a 2.46 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while eclipsing 200 innings for the fifth straight year. Past iterations of a Padres-Hamels deal were held up by Padres GM A.J. Preller's reluctance to part with catching prospect Austin Hedges. Trading Cashner seems more palatable for San Diego, as Hamels would be an upgrade in the rotation and they'd keep their top farmhand.
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