Photo: Philliedelphia/Andrew Gillen
Last season I pointed out how Cliff Lee essentially turned his limited no-trade clause into a full no-trade clause by putting teams on his "allow" list that would almost never certainly trade for him or that the Phillies would never trade him to. Lee and Phillies trade candidate Cole Hamels both have contracts that would allow the player to choose nine teams before each season to which they may be traded without their consent. While you might think that this would mean the player picks their favorite destinations, it has become a ploy to gain extra compensation, and Hamels appears to have done so.[
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal
Sources: #RedSox one of 20 teams on Hamels’ no-trade list. He would need to give #Phillies approval to trade him to Boston.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014
Hamels would not necessarily reject #RedSox, but likely would require any team on no-trade list to pick up his $20 million option for 2019.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014
So, it would appear that Hamels is keeping the Red Sox (and likely other teams) off of his trade list for 2015.
The Boston Red Sox would be an ideal destination for Hamels: they have young, talented players, money to spend, and a commitment to winning. They are further along than the Phillies in being ready to contend. But, Hamels knows that he could get something extra out of the Red Sox in exchange for waiving his no-trade clause.
A smart agent would not have it any other way. So, as the Phillies begin trade talks at the general managers meeting this week in Phoenix, Arizona, expect to find out that Hamels' nine-team approved trade destinations will include teams like the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, both of whom would never trade for Hamels.
