The New York Yankees appear to be one of the newest suitors for Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels. With the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers all reportedly in play, might the Yankees pony up what it will take to land the Phillies ace? No, probably not.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports:
#Yankees contacted #Phillies on Hamels, sources tell me and @jonmorosi. PHI likes Judge; NYY not planning to move Judge, Bird, Severino.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 25, 2015
So essentially, the Yankees do not want to trade anything.
In the era of overvalued prospects, the Phillies might not get much back in exchange for Cole Hamels. Not every prospect projects to be a superstar; I would have a hard time even believing that Severino Gonzalez could be close to Cole Hamels in his big league career. Aaron Judge really does look like a strong power bat in the corner outfield. Greg Bird is a converted catcher who looks promising, but was not strong enough to make MLB's Top 100 prospect list this year.
Nick Levya said, "You gotta trade good guys to get good guys," as the Phillies sent Juan Samuel to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell in 1989. That should hold true in 2015.
