Cole Hamels will be staying in Philadelphia after all.
Cole Hamels will be staying with the Philadelphia Phillies after he agreed to a contract on Wednesday. Cole Hamels has agreed to a six-year, $144 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies, CBSSports.com first reported Wednesday morning.
According to USA TODAY, the deal also includes a vesting option for a seventh year that would make the total value more than $160 million.
Hamels, 28, was set to become a free agent after this season and likely would have been dealt prior to the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline if the two sides hadn’t come to agreement on a long-term deal.
Drafted by the Phillies in the first round in 2002, Hamels is 85-58 with a 3.38 ERA in 200 games (199 starts) in his seven-season career. He was the MVP of the 2008 NLCS and the 2008 World Series. In 19 starts this season, Hamels is 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 133 2/3 innings.
His deal is the most lucrative in Phillies history and is the second-biggest ever for a major league pitcher, trailing only CC Sabathia’s seven-year, $161 million contract with the New York Yankees.
The Phillies’ rotation now includes three pitchers with average salaries worth at least $20 million, with Hamels, lefthander Cliff Lee (five years for $120 million and a $27.5 team option for 2016) and righthander Roy Halladay (three years, $60 million with a $20 million option for 2014).
Given their reported desire to stay below the $178 luxury tax threshold and their 44-54 record, the Phillies still could become seller prior to the trading deadline. Among their possible trade chips: center fielder Shane Victorino and right fielder Hunter Pence. There has even been speculation that Philadelphia will trade Lee, with the Texas Rangers among the teams interested in acquiring him.