The Houston Astros should absolutely trade for Cole Hamels

By Brandon Del Castillo |

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May 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

It is July 1, 2015, and pennant fever is starting to spread in Houston. It is not something most people, even the most rabid of Astros fans, had anticipated for this summer. Most thought that the only excitement would be watching our beloved Biggio finally get the recognition he deserved in Cooperstown.

However, the fever is rising.

“The main reason to trade for Cole Hamels is, of course, to win the World Series this year.”

Cole Hamels is the answer

While the Astros have been a good story to this point in the season, there are those that believe they are still a year away. I submit to you that the Astros are simply a pitcher away and that pitcher is Cole Hamels. I have written several articles previously explaining all the reasons Mr. Hamels is the perfect addition to this Houston pitching staff. I have discussed the former World Series MVP’s experience.

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I mentioned the fact that aces do not grow on trees and while there will be many available this offseason, none will come at the relatively cheap price averaging only $22 million a year and there are no guarantees that any will sign in Houston instead of New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Do you really want to get into a bidding war with those teams for David Price or Johnny Cueto?

Also, having Cole Hamels on a winning team in Houston only adds to the likelihood that another high-level pitcher may be willing to sign here in the offseason.

Astros trying to win World Series this year

The main reason to trade for Cole Hamels is, of course, to win the World Series this year. A rotation of Hamels, Keuchel and McCullers makes the Astros instant contenders capable of beating anyone in the playoffs. Is Hamels worth it? Absolutely! I could go back the past seven years and describe how he dominated the National League, but I don’t have to.

Let’s just look at what he has done this year on a horrible Phillies team: 3.26 ERA, 99 1/3 IP, 106 strikeouts. As of this writing, Hamels, who finished 6^th in Cy Young voting last year, also dominates in newer statistical categories, such as WAR, and this really shows his value.

His WAR of 2.8 this year is higher than that of Gerrit Cole, Felix Hernandez, Chris Sale and much higher than Johnny Cueto. In fact, the only pitchers in the American League with a higher WAR are Chris Archer, Sonny Gray and Dallas Keuchel.

Don’t be fooled, Hamels is most certainly an ace in the prime of his career and he is already signed through 2018 with an option for 2019. In other words, if you have to give up prospects for him, you won’t lose him after two months of a rental.

Next: Will Astros have to mortgage their future?

Will Astros have to mortgage their future?

Mar 16, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals infielder Denard Span (left) talks with pitcher Mark Appel during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

That brings us to the next question. Is he the type of player that you trade your high-level prospects for? I believe the answer is yes. What type of prospects is Hamels worth? In order to predict that, let’s revisit some past trades for other starting pitchers.

In 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers traded some of their “top prospects” for CC Sabathia. Those prospects included Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Michael Brantley and reliever Rob Bryson for a two month rental of Sabathia. Michael Brantley has just begun to realize his potential.

In 2013, the Cubs traded Matt Garza to the Rangers for “top prospects” Mike Olt, Justin Grimm, Neil Ramirez and C.J. Edwards. Garza was again a two-month rental. Did either of those trades set the Brewers or Rangers farm system back? Last year, the Detroit Tigers were able to acquire David Price, who at the time was a year and a half away from free agency, for Drew Smyly, Willy Adames and Austin Jackson (who turned into Nick Franklin).

My point is that you will have to give some prospects up to get Cole Hamels, but it is not the doomsday scenario others make it out to be. Wouldn’t a comparable package of Astros be Mark Appel, Brett Oberholtzer, Domingo Santana and Francis Martes?

Finally, there are no guarantees for the successes of any prospects. Isn’t it time we trust in Jeff Luhnow, that he is not going to “mortgage the Astros future” by trading away everyone’s new favorite prospects. No one can predict which prospects will adapt mentally to the major leagues.

Also, there is only enough room on the roster for 25 men and at a certain point you can only protect 40 men before you start losing them in the Rule 5 draft like Delino Deshields. The only facts in this scenario, are that the Astros have the most wins in the American league and that Cole Hamels gives them a serious edge in not only reaching the playoffs, but winning them.

Catch the fever!

The Houston Astros Should Not Trade for Cole Hamels

The Houston Astros should absolutely trade for Cole Hamels

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