Kuzul

The MLB All-Star break came and went, and now the 30 major league franchises have no choice but to stare down the rest of the season and decide whether they are in the buyers or sellers camp in 2014.

July 31 is the trade deadline, and teams would be loathe to linger on the deals that can either set them up for future success or bring in the high-caliber talent that will put them over the top in their respective divisions. 

Pitching, as always, it as a premium this late in the season. Let’s check out the buzz on some of the better pitchers who could be on the move this month.

Rays Continue to Engage in David Price Trade Talks

Let’s start off with David Price, the man who’s seemingly led the charge when it comes to midseason trade rumors in the major leagues. According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Seattle Mariners may be looking to deal a few high-profile prospects to secure Price and/or Ben Zobrist from the Tampa Bay Rays:

The Rays are said to have talked to the Mariners about pitching prospect Taijuan Walkerplus two or three other top young players in talks involving pitcher David Price, league sources said. Talks are ongoing and fluid, and deals being discussed could include just Price from Tampa Bay, Price plus Ben Zobrist or Zobrist alone.

Price is 9-7 on the year with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, per Baseball-Reference.com. The Rays are 44-53 on the season and operate on a very limited budget. To his credit, Price has been very understanding about all the talk surrounding his situation with the team.

“Since 2012, (the Rays and I) both understood that for Tampa to continue the kind of success we’ve had over the past five or six years, this is the way they operate. I would love to stay there and for us to continue to be successful. But I don’t know if that’s a possibility,” he said, via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

The Mariners have a wealth of prospects to offer. Taijuan Walker is a tall, right-handed pitcher with a bright future ahead of him. The 21-year-old has thrown just 10 innings so far this year with the big club, giving up seven hits and four earned runs while striking out nine. He would be a tantalizing replacement for Price, especially if the Rays are looking for like-for-like players from other teams.

Developing young players is a hallmark of the Rays’ recent success, and this could be a trade that is too good for the team to pass up, as it looks to move one expensive player for several cost-effective building blocks.

Phillies Would Rather Move Lee Over Hamels

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, the Philadelphia Phillies would be more inclined to trade starting pitcher Cliff Lee than Cole Hamels this season.

The Phillies are dead last in the NL East and could be looking to bolster their farm system, which was ranked 25th by Baseball Prospectus‘ Jason Parks in February 2014.

As Heyman writes, both pitchers have no-trade clauses, and Hamels is more likely to use his in a possible trade: 

Both Lee and Hamels have no-trades with at least 20 teams on them, but people around the team suggest Hamels is more likely to invoke his, as he wants to remain in Philly. Lee, like closer Jonathan Papelbon, would likely choosing winning over city, they say.

If the Phillies are willing to sell a top-of-the-line starter to revamp the organization, they would almost certainly get more for Hamels than Lee.  

Both pitchers are left-handed, always a plus, but Hamels is having the better season and is five years younger than Lee. 

Lee is currently on the disabled list and is 4-4 on the year with a 3.18 ERA. At 35 years old, franchises around the league may not be looking to get much more out of him than a solid performance down the stretch run this season. Hamels, sporting a 3-5 record and a 2.93 ERA, would be a blockbuster move that could land the Phillies a wealth of excellent prospects.

Tigers Are Looking at Joakim Soria

The Detroit Tigers are looking for a reliever to bolster the bullpen for the second half of the season. According to Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi, they have their eyes on Texas Rangers reliever Joakim Soria:

The Rangers are in an interesting position. They’ve won at least 90 games over the past four seasons, but injuries to the likes of Prince Fielder and inconsistent performances have them in last place in the AL West this season.

They may not be quite ready to start giving up solid veterans in the hopes of turning their play around over the next couple of seasons.

The right-handed Soria boasts a 2.60 ERA with 16 saves and 40 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched this season. He could fill the role of set-up man for the Tigers or perhaps supplant closer Joe Nathan, who has five blown saves and a 5.61 ERA on the year.

Soria is used to taking on the closer role, as his 176 career saves will attest to, so he may not be best suited for a typical reliever role where he is called upon to eat innings. The Tigers will likely have to give up players or prospects that the Rangers believe will set them up for a bounce-back season in 2015.

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Former 2008 World Series MVP and Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels has been sidelined with shoulder tendonitis, putting him behind schedule in getting ready for the 2014 MLB season.

The injury has gone from a positive outlook to a cause for concern in a matter of a week. Hamels’ health should scare fans in the Philadelphia area.

Earlier last week, Hamels spoke to CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury about progressing with his rehab:

“I’m feeling like my body is ready to make a big jump. I feel right where I usually am about Feb. 1 going into spring training. That’s about the time I’m usually ready for my first ‘pen. I’m happy where I am.”

On Thursday, however, Hamels spoke to the Philadelphia Daily News‘ Ryan Lawrence. The injury has began taking a turn for the worst:

I believe I threw 35 pitches. To my body it felt like a thousand. I think I pushed it a little too hard too quickly. And I wasn’t able to recover the way I obviously use to or would be accustomed to. I didn’t feel like it was safe to push it in that direction because I think that would have led to injuries. So I’m just really trying to allow my body to catch up. I’m trying to build the biggest base of strength that I possibly can to throw. And in the short period that I have had, I wasn’t able to build it the best I could to face hitters.

To top it off, the Phillies starting rotation is not panning out to what it was projected to be. Hamels was supposed to anchor a rotation that featured innings-eater A.J. Burnett, former Cy Young Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick and a combination of veteran Roberto Hernandez and offseason acquisition Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.

Lee has been impressive in his brief workload this spring.

Burnett surrendered six runs on seven hits in three innings of work on Friday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles.

Kendrick bounced back after a rough first appearance against the New York Yankees.

Hernandez has been decent, and Gonzalez has struggled mightily, which has caused room for speculating if he is good enough to be in the starting rotation come April.

Where do the 1-8 Phillies go from here if Hamels can’t be ready till April or later and the rotation is undecided?

There was also a report from the Boston Globe‘s Nick Cafardo, regarding the status of free-agent starting pitcher Ervin Santana:

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer later refuted the original report via Twitter:

But should Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. take a look at the veteran starter?

Santana is reportedly looking for a one-year deal from a ballclub prior to Opening Day, via Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal (h/t MLB Trade Rumors). Signing him to a deal would cost the team a draft pick.

The team could also look to youth in the rotation, but again, there are not many positives to look at.

Jonathan Pettibone went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts during the 2013 season for Philadelphia. David Buchanan, a Rule 5 pick from December, is impressing on the mound but has made only six starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to this season. Jeff Manship has started 10 games in his major league career and owns a 6.42 ERA. Ethan Martin went down with an injury the first day of spring training.

What originally started out as a minor injury, resulting in a few missed starts, has turned into a major scare for the Phillies.

A team that needs a plethora of things to pan out for it has experienced failure from the rotation early on this season. There are a bunch of “ifs” to help fill the voids, but zero reliability. Because of these reasons, the city of Philadelphia should be concerned with the health of its ace.

The team’s success dwindles in the shoulder of Hamels.

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The Philadelphia Phillies rebuild, it would appear, is on.

Following a lengthy stretch of success during which they won five straight National League East division crowns and the 2008 World Series title, the Phillies have stumbled the past two seasons, falling to .500 in 2012 and 73-89 last year—their worst mark since 2000.

With many of their key core players from that period now well into their 30s, like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, or dealing with injury issues, like Ryan Howard, the Phillies are a franchise that, in the past year, has gone from teetering on the brink of needing a rebuild to becoming unquestionably desperate for one.

And so general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is looking to cash in his trade chips.

Just a few days after reminding everyone that highly paid closer Jonathan Papelbon remains available, the Phillies have made it known that they they are also ready and willing to talk about trading one—or both—of their ace left-handers, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

There’s reason to wonder whether this approach will stick, though, seeing as how Amaro told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, “Our goal is to add, not to subtract.” There’s also the fact that Philadelphia re-signed catcher Carlos Ruiz and brought in outfielder Marlon Byrd already this offseason.

At the same time, though, there are reports that indicate even young outfielder Domonic Brown might be on the block, as Zolecki noted. While Papelbon doesn’t have much trade value at all—$26 million guaranteed through 2015 for a one-inning pitcher will do that—Lee and Hamels fall on the other end of the spectrum.

As two legitimate No. 1 starters who have continued to perform at or near that level for the past several seasons, either of the two southpaws should be able to net Philadelphia the kind of return the team needs. Should Amaro Jr. decide, once and for all, to go that route.

Speaking of needs, the Phillies could use a few things.

Like an impact infielder at either shortstop or third base, where Rollins is getting old and 2013 rookie Cody Asche remains unproven.

Or an upgrade in the outfield, particularly in center, where Ben Revere is more of a fringy starter who could fit better as a backup.

Or bullpen arms with upside to help address the late innings, whether Papelbon stays around as the closer or not.

Or rotation depth, as Lee, Hamels and righty Kyle Kendrick are the only locks for the 2014 five-man at the moment.

Most of all, though, Philadelphia needs youth, depth and cheaper contracts, especially since so much money is tied up in Howard, Papelbon, Lee and Hamels, among others.

That’s one of the factors to consider in valuing Lee and Hamels on the trade market. For Lee, we’re talking about a 35-year-old who is guaranteed $62.5 million through 2015, along with a $27.5 million club option for 2016. Hamels, meanwhile, is a soon-to-be 30-year-old with at least $118.5 million coming his way through 2018, plus a $20 million club option for 2019. In other words, any inquiring team likely will be a contender that can fit an extra $22-25 million into its budget for the next few years.

While those prices might seem a bit overwhelming, both Lee and Hamels still would be highly sought after given their sustained production and durability. For teams who have been honing in on other top starters who are rumored trade targets, like David Price, Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija, as well as free agents like Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana and Matt Garza, the chance to land a Lee or a Hamels adds a couple more names to a growing list of appealing arms.

Here, then, is a rundown of the teams that could match up well with the Phillies in a trade for one of their two front-liners.

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The Philadelphia Phillies are not managed by Bill Parcells, but they are the living embodiment of one of the former National Football League coach’s most famous truisms.

“You are what your record says you are” is a phrase tough guy wannabes and other unpleasant people like to throw around with great self-satisfaction to point up the shortcomings of everyone but them.

I really dislike people who break this old chestnut out every time somebody else makes a mistake or three. Which, I guess, makes it all the more galling that I am applying it to the 2013 Phillies.

It really fits, though.

Until Matt Harvey abused the Phillies on Sunday afternoon, the Phillies were an even 49-49 on the season.

In 2012, the Phillies went 81-81.

You do not need to be a mathematics major to see that the Phillies played 260 games in a bit more than a season and a half and won exactly half of them.

The Phillies’ record, then, says they are a .500 franchise. And you know what?

So does their roster.

The Phillies have about half of an outfield.

Domonic Brown is set to be a fixture in left field. Ben Revere has shown flashes of exciting promise, but his .324 lifetime on-base percentage does not suggest he will ever be more than an adequate leadoff man.

Delmon Young has hit decently and fielded pretty poorly, i.e., he is exactly what he was advertised to be.

The Phillies have about half of an infield.

Jimmy Rollins is having a pretty nondescript campaign by his standards. Chase Utley has been resurgent when he has played. And there ends the good news in the infield.

Ryan Howard is featured in every “worst contract in baseball history” piece the blogosphere can pump out. Michael Young is at the top of every “first Phillie likely to be traded” list (H/T Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports).

The Phillies have about half of a starting rotation.

Cliff Lee is an All-Star and shows no signs of slowing down. Cole Hamels has been a hot mess for most of 2013, but it is probably too soon to say he cannot regain ace form in 2014 and beyond.

As an aside, though, the Parcells quote absolutely applies to Hamels this season. His earned run average is over four and he is 4-12. His WHIP this season is a full tenth higher than his career average in that statistical category. He is what he is right now.

After Lee and Hamels, the Phillies have a whole lot of “meh” at the back end of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick is trying as hard as he can, but he will never be confused with an ace.

Jonathan Pettibone, John Lannan and the others pitching on days four and five are only placeholders until better options come along.

The only places you cannot say the Phillies have half a roster are in the bullpen and on the bench.

Because in those areas, the Phillies have much, much less than glass-half-full situations.

The Mike Adams signing can fairly be called a loss. As such, the Phillies are back to handing the ball to the likes of Jake Diekman, Justin De Fratus and Antonio Bastardo in the late innings, hoping none of them burst into flames trying to get the game to the suddenly iffy Jonathan Papelbon.

And you can’t make me talk about the Phillies’ bench options (beyond Kevin Frandsen, who has been really good) so I won’t.

Besides, if you want to watch the Phillies’ bench, based on the team’s injury problems you can just watch the game from the first inning on—John Mayberry, Jr. and Darin Ruf would be, at best, bench players for most contending teams.

Despite all of the foregoing, the Phillies continue to cling desperately to their .500 record and their dwindling hopes of stealing a playoff spot in an underwhelming National League.

As last year showed, though, .500 becomes less of an accomplishment and more of a burden with each game that falls off the schedule.

The primary bit of good news for the Phillies going forward is what promises to be a wild shedding of salary soon after the season ends on September 29 in Atlanta.

Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz will all fall off the books, freeing up about $46 million ($10 million of Young’s salary in 2013 is being eaten by the Texas Rangers.)

If the Phillies decide to sell Papelbon before the trade deadline, that would be another $13 million saved next season.

So in truth, the future for the Phillies looks quite a bit brighter than the present. For one thing, the National League East is not exactly populated with dominant teams in the way of the 1927 New York Yankees or the Big Red Machine. 

Brown, Revere, Lee and Hamels are a reasonably solid core to build around, prospects like Maikel Franco and Jesse Biddle are in the pipeline and the team should have a lot of money to spend next winter.

Getting to that promised time, though, might feel interminable as the 2013 team trudges toward another Even Steven season likely to end without a playoff run.

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Cole Hamels is getting a pass from Philadelphia Phillies fans—and the city’s media—for his horrible pitching this season.

That stops now.

The Phillies are exactly halfway through their season after a 16-1 thrashing of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They won 39 of their first 81 games are 6.5 games out of a wild-card playoff spot.

For his part, Cole Hamels is 2-11 with an earned run average over 4.50 and a 1.30 WHIP.

Those numbers actually flatter Hamels if you take into consideration what the Phillies are paying him to throw the ball every five days, not to mention how the 2013 team’s fate was placed to a large degree on his left arm.

Think about the team’s outlook back in spring training.

Everyone knew Roy Halladay was, at best, a big question mark and at worst damaged goods. We know now how that turned out. Regardless, counting on Halladay to win double-digit games after the spotty 2012 season he posted was never going to work.

Other than losing Halladay, though, the “back of the baseball card” premise has largely borne out for the Phillies—with the glaring exception of Hamels. That is, most of the Phillies have done more or less what could have been expected of them.

Ben Revere, after a pretty wretched start, is now hitting .280 with 20 stolen bases. Michael Young is hitting .289 after pulling himself out of a terrible slump.

Ryan Howard has hit 10 home runs and driven in 41 while fighting through nagging injuries. Chase Utley missed almost a month, but in his 52 games played, he has hit .281 with an .844 OPS and nine home runs.

And those are just the dossiers of the Phillies who have performed about as expected. 

Some Phils have overachieved wildly.

So the Phillies are no longer the offensive juggernaut that terrorized the National League from 2007-2011. They are below average, ninth out of 15 teams in the National League. 

You know who’s in 10th place in offense in the National League? The 49-30 Pittsburgh Pirates, that’s who.

While the Pirates are patching a capable pitching staff together with the likes of Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon and Jeff Locke, the Phillies are paying Hamels almost $20 million to go 3-14 in games he starts.

On a few occasions, the Phillies’ bats let Hamels down, but that happens to every starting pitcher.

The position players have had little to do with Hamels’ nondescript June, when he went 1-2 against a punchless slate that included the New York Mets, Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins—all below-average offenses in their own rights.

And if you reach back to May 31, you can drag in Hamels’ stink bomb against the Milwaukee Brewers, when Hamels gave up 12 hits and six earned runs in five innings to fall to 1-9.

The saddest part of all of this is that many of Hamels’ teammates are exceedingly likely to pay for his sins.

CBS Sports’ Peter Gammons and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal are just two of the prominent pundits suggesting that the likes of Utley, Young, Jonathan Papelbon and even ace Cliff Lee may go at or before the trade deadline as the Phillies fall further out of contention.

Hamels, of course, is going nowhere. It is hard to get a great return on a 2-11 pitcher with five years and $112.5 million left on his contract.

Think of it this way: Had Hamels just been around .500 in the first half, say, 6-7 instead of 2-11, the Phillies would be 43-38 and in serious contention for a wild-card spot.

Instead, the team appears headed for a fire sale.

Maybe it is harsh to put all the blame on Hamels for the train wreck that has been the Phillies’ 2013 season.

But he’s a really good place to start. 

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The Philadelphia Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves 7-5 in their first game of the 2013 season, but it wasn’t all bad news.

Cole Hamels and Chad Durbin struggled on the mound, Chase Utley brought life to the offense and newcomers made their debuts. It is a much different Phillies team than a few years ago, when it had the best rotation in all of baseball and was considered a title contender. Now, the Phillies try to put a .500 season behind them as they set out to retake the NL East throne from the Washington Nationals.

So, what did we learn about the Phillies on Opening Night?

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The following countdown touts my best early guess of the top 20 starting pitchers heading into fantasy drafts for 2013.

(Stats compiled through Sept. 13.)

This off-the-cuff brainstorm may be rooted in hard numbers, but it’s also a soft measurement of where the market currently stands and where it’ll be in mid-to-late March.

For all we know, young guns like Dylan Bundy (Orioles), Jake Odorizzi (Royals), Matt Harvey (Mets), Gerrit Cole (Pirates), Trevor Bauer (Diamondbacks) or teen prodigy Jose Fernandez (Marlins) could somehow force their way into the next countdown, thanks to a stupendous spring.

But at this point, I prefer to lean on the following cast of savvy veterans, which includes a 23-year-old lefty who’s primed for a big jump next season.

Enjoy the show!

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Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels may be a top trade target right now, but don’t expect him to be dealt until the deadline is imminent.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported on Sunday that the Phillies recently began working the phones after contract negotiations broke down with Hamels. And, as with any top names on the trade market, expect the Phillies to dangle Hamels right up until the deadline, seeking the best available offer.

Hamels owns a 10-4 record with a 3.08 ERA and 1.10 WHIP this season for Philadelphia. He’s recorded 111 strikeouts in 111 innings. On the other hand, he’s also a free agent after the season, and with no guarantee that he’ll return to Philadelphia, the Phillies must begin thinking about trading the 28-year-old.

Buster Olney of ESPN noted on Tuesday that it was only natural for the Phillies to look into offers for the star left-hander, but “unless somebody calls up with a monster offer for Hamels — which rival evaluators do not believe will happen until some day closer to the July 31 deadline — the Phillies will continue to play out their season and hope that they slowly climb back into the race, with Chase Utley back in the lineup and Ryan Howard on the way.”

So, at the moment, Philadelphia will see what happens before July 31 and – if they are still out of contention by then – will wait until an overwhelming offer falls in their lap.

Headed into Tuesday’s game, the Phillies were 36-45, good for last place in the NL East. They were eight games back for a Wild-Card spot in the National League. In that sense, it’s unlikely that they’ll rise enough, even with Utley and Howard, to be back in the picture by the time the trade deadline rolls around. That points to Hamels eventually being dealt.

The rest of the league will have to be patient until then.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about baseball together.

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There is a great scene in the film Dr. Strangelove when George C. Scott talks to the President, played by Peter Sellers, about the advantages of starting a nuclear war.

At one point he says, “The truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice between two admittedly regrettable but nevertheless distinguishable post-war environments.”

That line reminded me of the current state of the Philadelphia Phillies. Now granted, they are not dealing with something as severe as starting World War III. But they do need to make a hard choice and deal with a not very pleasant truth.

The Phillies have committed too much money and too many years to keeping the likes of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard with the club to realistically resign Cole Hamels to a market value contract.

That means Hamels will probably not only be a free agent this offseason, but be one of the most coveted prizes of the winter. That is the truth.

Another part of the truth is this has been a monumentally disappointing season for the Phillies. The team has been decimated with injuries and poor run support for their pitchers. Cliff Lee has as many wins as Ryan Howard has games played this season: Zero.

They have a -11 run differential, are seven games under .500, ten games out of first place and 12 games behind the Washington Nationals in the loss column.

While there is still more than half the season to play and none of the other four National League East teams look like powerhouses this season, there has been little to indicate that this Phillies team is about to turn on the switch and start winning.

So would keeping Cole Hamels for an unlikely pennant run only to lose him in the offseason make sense?

This would be an interesting debate topic if not for events that happened 107 miles north of Philadelphia.

The New York Yankees have been rocked by injuries to CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera that have made their current five game lead vulnerable.

Sabathia should return after the All-Star break. Pettitte will take longer to recover and Rivera’s career might be over.

The delicate nature of the Yankee pitching staff was exposed in each of the first two games against the White Sox.

On Thursday the bullpen collapsed in the ninth inning. Last night young Adam Warren was rocked in his big league debut and the relievers fared no better.

The Yankees need a pitcher. They need one to fill the gaping holes in the rotation now and one that would give the team depth in October.

Who better to fill that bill than Cole Hamels?

A former NLCS and World Series MVP, Hamels has the Northeast and playoff experience and would give the Yankees a shot of confidence. He would be in position to negotiate a contract extension with the deepest pockets in the game.

How would Phillies fans react to this move? Philadelphia fans might boo, but they tend to boo anyway.

This is where George C. Scott’s line comes to mind again. There are two regrettable but distinguishable post-Cole Hamels scenarios for Philadelphia fans.

One has Hamels leaving via free agency and the Phillies getting two draft picks in exchange for Hamels.

The other has the Phillies bargaining in a position of strength against a Yankee team that could be prone for a panic move.

New York sent their best trade chip, Jesus Montero, for pitcher Michael Pineda, who had one half of a good season and health issues.

Now they have a chance to bring in a proven All Star and potentially make their big offseason splash with a contract extension in one move. They might be willing to part with a few young players to make that deal.

Would Mason Williams, Dellin Betances or Manny Banuelos be available? If other clubs got into the bidding, would the Yankees raise the stakes to win the Hamels stakes?

The idea of bringing in at least two and maybe more major-league ready players to Philadelphia as opposed to two picks must be considered to be a better scenario for the Phillies. And they may have the Yankees at a disadvantage right now, which is the best time to bargain.

And unlike Dr. Strangelove, this is not to suggest they should blow everything up: Just weigh the Cole War environment.

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With the Philadelphia Phillies looking up at the rest of the National League East in the standings, they may make the decision to be sellers at the trade deadline this year. If this is the route that they choose to take, then the questions become which players would be willing to move.

One of the players that the Phillies may consider dealing this winter is Cole Hamels. He is going to become a free agent after the year, and one agent believes that Hamels will be able to get a deal with a higher annual value than CC Sabathia’s contract if he hits the open market (via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports).

Buster Olney of ESPN has noted that there are a number of pros and cons to both trading Hamels and to keeping him. Trading away a player of Hamels’ caliber would bring back a few elite prospects, but the Phillies would lose almost any chance they had to re-sign him.

There is a way that the Phillies could free up some money that they could use to sign Hamels this winter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has suggested that the Phillies could trade Cliff Lee and then choose to build around Hamels.

Lee has $75 million left on his contract for the next three seasons as well as a $27.5 million option with a $12.5 million buyout for the 2016 season. If Lee is dealt, that money could be shifted towards a new contract for Hamels.

There are other benefits of trading Lee. Dealing Lee would allow the Philadelphia Phillies to restock their farm system. The team has a farm system that ranks near the bottom of the MLB and the prospects acquired in any deal involving Lee would be the type of players that could make an impact in the major leagues sooner rather than later.

A potential issue arises if the Phillies try to trade Lee. He has a no-trade clause that includes nine teams (via NY Post). This could really limit the teams that the Phillies can try to negotiate with since some big market clubs that can afford Lee may actually be on the list.

Philadelphia is currently in a situation where they need to get younger. Their average age is 31.5 years old, and they need to focus on keeping their younger players and bringing in new talent.

Trading Lee will allow the Phillies to do this because they can go all out offer Hamels the money that he wants. Hamels will be in a position to serve an ace on the Phillies staff for years to come, and he will be a piece to build around.

There is also the chance that the Phillies trade Lee and then are unable to sign Hamels. The Los Angeles Dodgers could have Hamels at the top of their list this offseason and may be willing spend whatever it takes to sign him (via Twitter).

Philadelphia should try to sign Hamels to an extension in season if they deal Lee because there is a legitimate chance that the will lose Hamels if he hits the market. The Phillies would be in a very rough spot if they lost both Lee and Hamels.

Championship teams are ones that are not afraid to take risks. Without risks there are no rewards. If the Phillies want set themselves up for the future, they should deal Lee and then put all their effort into bringing Hamels back.

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