Houston Astros: A Cole Hamels Deal On The Horizon?

This has been an awesome Houston Astros season to say the least!

As our team charges through to almost the first-half of the season, they continue to make exponential progress.

With the MLB Draft with less than one week away, this team looks to bat 1.000 with three first-round picks.

They also look to be movers and shakers in acquiring top-tier talent.

Finally, I’m hearing my team being involved in talks for seizing big names to join this burgeoning roster.

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There’s a name that you need to keep your eye on.

Who?

None other than the Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels.

For a guy that’s long rumored to be a target by the Astros, there’s chatter of deal for the three-time All-Star and 2008 World Series MVP actually becoming a reality.

With the Astros likely on pace to win over 100 games this season — one can infer that this team is geared up to participate in the postseason for the first time in nearly 10 years.

To do so, they must stock up on talent to have enough firepower to push on through to have the utmost of success.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Astros are “seeking a No. 1 or No. 2 starter” and also said that general manager Jeff Luhnow would be “interested in any arm that could start Games 1-3 of a playoff series.”

But here’s the stickler…

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Hamels will average $24 million for the duration of his contract that will close at the end of the 2019 season, which is actually an option year for him.

He’s currently working off a six-year, $144 million deal.

I’m entirely positive that the Astros will balk at the idea of being on the hook for all of that salary.

Instead, the Astros will dangle the ton of prospects they have in their arsenal in one of the most ripe farm systems in major league baseball in exchange for the Phillies to cover some of that money.

Heyman also reports that the Phillies are interested in left-fielder Preston Tucker, currently on the active roster and right-fielder Brett Phillips currently featured on the Class-A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks.

It has also been said that there’s no way in hell they’d give up Triple-A Fresno SS Carlos Correa, RHP Lance McCullers Jr. or Double-A Corpus Christi RHP Vincent Velasquez either.

But you never know what they’d do to get a ace that would have Astros fans drooling at the thought of being at the bump on the regular at Minute Maid Park.

Another hurdle would be Hamels’ no-trade clause that he has in that contract.

In his deal, there are currently 20 teams listed as teams he doesn’t desire to be traded to and the Astros are one of them.

But since things have changed here in Astroland for the better, Hamels may have more of willingness to waive it because the Phillies have been floundering this season.

Can you blame Hamels?

He didn’t think the Astros were going to be this good, this fast so he was protecting his best interests of not being dealt like a used car.

I strongly feel that Astros should not pull out all of the stops to get him but make a sizable offer to pry him away.

We don’t want to be in situation that got us in previous bad situation in the first place where they plundered the farm in order to chase rings.

Nothing good comes out of that because of so many variables that can affect one’s march to the promised land.