When left-hander Cole Hamels inked a six-year, $144 million contract extension with the Phillies in late July 2012, he was given the right to veto a trade to 20 out of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams.
With the 2014 trade deadline approaching and the last-place Phillies looking like potential sellers, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi have dug up some of the details about Hamels’ no-trade clause, including the nine teams that he can be dealt to without giving his consent …
Cole Hamels can be traded to LAD, LAA, STL, WAS, ATL, NYY, BOS, TEX, SD without his permission, sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 8, 2014
Hamels’ no-trade clause allows him to block deals to 20 teams. The aforementioned 9 are not on that list and are free to acquire him.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 8, 2014
Hamels is from Southern California, so not a surprise that he would allow Dodgers, Angels, Padres to acquire him.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 8, 2014
Hamels is under contractual control through 2019 and the big-budget Phillies are obviously hoping to be competitive at some point over the next five seasons, so it’s not close to a certainty that the 30-year-old will be moved. Cliff Lee is 35 years old and only signed through 2015 — making him more likely to be shipped.
Hamels boasts a 2.87 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, and 101/35 K/BB ratio through 100 1/3 innings this season.