The Phillies continue to be linked to the Boston Red Sox over starting pitcher Cole Hamels. The left-handed starter does have the Red Sox on his no-trade list, but most believe it will be leverage for his option to be picked up. It sounds as if the Phillies and Red Sox have been talking about Hamels rather regularly to this point.
National baseball writer Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports:
Look for the Phillies to reopen trade talks with the Red Sox on Cole Hamels. The Sox have shot down a couple of proposals already.
If there were "a couple" with more forthcoming, the Phillies are likely pretty serious about moving Hamels.
Even if the Red Sox re-sign Jon Lester, there could still be room for a Hamels trade. The Red Sox have Clay Buchholz and Joe Kelly as starters for 2015, and that's about it. Further, I would not be shocked if Kelly came back in a trade. Buchholz struggled in 2014 and he himself says he "can't explain it. If the Red Sox hope to contend in 2015, they need better and Hamels will be the best fit.
Who could the Phillies get in return? If the Phillies are lucky they will get starter Joe Kelly, catcher Blake Swihart, and one of the Red Sox left-handed pitching prospects.
Kelly came over to the Red Sox along with outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for veteran starter John Lackey at the 2014 trade deadline. Kelly has yet to put together a full season in a starting rotation, but has shown some promise. It was not enough that the Cardinals kept him, and it will not be enough if the Red Sox can land Cole Hamels. The benefit of Kelly is that he is 26 years old and the Phillies would have three years of club control before he is a free agent.
Catcher Blake Swihart is listed as the Red Sox top prospect on the 2015 Baseball America list. Swihart is a former first round pick of the Red Sox and reached AAA in 2014. A piece from Boston's WEEI descrived him:
He’s described by team officials as having “off the charts” makeup and leadership abilities (traits that were evident as he guided Salem’s pitching staff to the Carolina League championship). He possesses plenty of arm strength, with his home-to-second pop times typically registering from the 1.8s to 1.95 (1.95 is considered major league average). And his athleticism has allowed him to make rapid strides behind the plate, even though he’s relatively new to catching, having only become a full-time backstop after being drafted.
The best part about Swihart: he is blocked by another Red Sox prospect, in Christian Vazquez. Vazquez took the full-time catching duties for the Red Sox late 2014. Since the Phillies have no idea what they will get from Tommy Joseph (who may pick up a first baseman's mitt any day now) so acquiring Swihart would be a good idea.
Left-handed pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez or Brian Johnson would be nice to add to the Phillies' minor league depth. Johnson split 2014 between A and AA, going 13-3 with a 133 strikeouts and an ERA just over 2. Rodriguez was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for left-handed reliever Andrew Miller. Rodriguez was a combined 6-8 with a 3.60 ERA in AA for two organizations; he was particularly strong with the Red Sox AA affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs, going 3-1 with an 0.96 ERA after the trade.
Forget about Mookie Betts. Forget about Xander Boagerts. Even forget about Jackie Bradley, whom the Red Sox are still high on. This would be a reasonable return, and let's hope that no matter what, the Phillies get this right.
