After throwing a no-hitter on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs while striking out 13, Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels showed that he can still pitch at a high level. On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said that momentum is building towards a trade as offers improved after Hamels threw the no-hitter.
Right now, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are considered favorites to land Hamels, while the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cubs are still in the mix. Tonight, you can add the Houston Astros into the Hamels’ sweepstakes according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.
Crasnick says that the Astros “remain in the thick” of the bidding for Hamels and are making a big push. Remember just last week, the Astros traded for starting pitcher Scott Kazmir. But if they could add Hamels, it would set them up for a strong second half finish, pushing towards the playoffs.
But the question is will Hamels sign off on a trade to go to Houston? That’s the kicker because he can block a trade to 20 teams. After his no-hitter on Saturday, Hamels now has a record of 6-7 with a 3.64 ERA, to along with 137 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched.
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