Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — According to multiple online sources, veteran pitcher Cole Hamels will be signing with the Dodgers soon. It’s a sign that the Dodgers are still looking to give their starting rotation some depth, and a hedge against the uncertainty surrounding Clayton Kershaw‘s return from the IL, not to mention the legal mess that is the Trevor Bauer situation.
Hamels, who auditioned for teams during a workout last month in Texas, passed his physical Wednesday morning. The Dodgers will guarantee him a prorated $1 million for the rest of this season and will tack on $200,000 in incentives for each start, a source told ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Star with the Phillies
Let’s face it. Cole Hamels’ best years are way behind him. At 37, Hamels is best known for the nice run he had with the Phillies in their glory years in the late 2000’s and early 2010s. He was on two World Series teams, and even garnered some Cy Young votes during that time, finishing in the top ten in four separate years. With the Phillies, Hamels compiled a record of 108-83 with a 3.27 ERA. He even had a no-hitter in there, which he threw against the Cubs in July 2015.
Injuries have plagued latter career
But as they say, that was then and this is now. He hasn’t pitched in the Bigs this year, and only pitched once for the Braves last year, and got lit up in that start. He spent the rest of the year on the IL because of shoulder and triceps injuries and has spent the vast majority of this year regaining his health. In the last five years, he has a combined ERA of 3.76 and a WHIP of about 1.25.
Scouting report
Primarily, Hamels uses a four-seam, a cutter, a curve, and a change as part of his repertoire. After his heater sat in the 92-93 mph range in 2020, he topped out at just 89 mph in the 3-1/3 innings he threw for Atlanta last summer. Not a big needle mover for the Dodgers, but if he can give the team a half dozen decent starts between now and October, the team will probably consider it money well-spent.
