By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Former Philadelphia Phillies southpaw Cole Hamels is staying in the Windy City for at least one more season. The Chicago Cubs exercised the $20 million club option on the 13-year veteran for the 2019 season on Friday, according to Jerry Crasnick.
Hamels, 34, went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts with the Cubs, after being traded back to the National League this past sumer following a four-year, 88-start stint with the Texas Rangers. The left-hander tossed two scoreless relief innings for the Cubs in the National League Wild Card Game, his first postseason appearance since the 2016 American League Division Series.
The Cubs reportedly wanted to re-work Hamels' contract to a multi-year deal with a lower AAV; however, with the two sides unable to come to agreement, the Cubs ultimately chose to just pick up the option. Hamels is not signed beyond 2019.
The Cubs will play at Citizens Bank Park next season on August 13-15. It would be nice to see Hamels take the South Philadelphia mound at least one more time in his career, more than a decade after securing the Phillies their second-ever World Series championship.
