Sure, Cole Hamels to the Philadelphia Phillies is a little on the nose. Yet, it also makes perfect sense.
Following a rough 2017, the 34-year-old left-hander is back on track with a 3.74 ERA through 11 starts for the Texas Rangers. But since he’s in the final guaranteed year of his contract and they’re going nowhere, he fits better on the trade market than he does in the Rangers’ rotation.nfl jersey sales
The catch has to do with money. Hamels is making $22.5 million this year, and he has at least another $6 million due his way this offseason. This limits his scope of suitors by default. The luxury-tax concerns of teams like the Cubs, Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers may further limit it.
The Phillies are a different story.best cheap nfl jerseys
They opened 2018 with just a $95.3 million payroll. That puts them hilariously short of their full spending power, which means their financial muscle is the best thing they’ll have going for them on the summer trade market.
Hamels is the ideal player for whom to flex that muscle. He’d fit well alongside Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, and the Phillies obviously know firsthand that he can handle himself in a pennant race.
The Kansas City Royals haven’t made any impact trades yet, but Jon Heyman of the FRS Network reported that they’re “‘quietly’ letting other teams know they expect to have a ‘for sale’ sign up soon.”
Although the Royals have a little something for everyone, their most popular trade chip is sure to be Kelvin Herrera. Good relievers are always in high demand at the trade deadline. And between his track record and his 0.83 ERA through cheap jerseys nfl 22 appearances this season, he qualifies as a damn good one.
To boot, Herrera is a rental. His acquisition cost will be high but not high enough to ward off swaths of contenders.
To list just a few, Herrera makes sense for the Red Sox, Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. But he probably makes the most sense for the Astros.
Overall, Houston’s bullpen is doing just fine with a 3.02 ERA and an MLB-best 4.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. No thanks to Ken Giles’ struggles, however, ninth innings have been on the adventurous side.nfl jerseys for women
Were a trade for Herrera to fix that, the Astros would have all the puzzle pieces for a second straight World Series title.
