Cole Hamels RUMORS & NEWS

Philly.com "THREE MONTHS ago, before the official announcement, Roy Halladay endorsed Cole Hamels as the new leader of the Phillies' rotation. Halladay had started 10 straight times on Opening Day, dating back to his days in Toronto, but in the early part of spring training the aging veteran acknowledged..." May 16

Courier-Post "While his big-league teammates hopped across the bay to Tampa to play the Yankees, Cole Hamels hung out with a herd of minor leaguers. There was no cause for concern, however, as Hamels was scheduled to pitch at the Carpenter Complex instead of George M. Steinbrenner Field. Phillies officials..." March 17

Courier-Post "The Phillies announced their Opening Day starting pitcher Thursday in about the stealthiest way they could, sending out an announcement a couple days after reporters tired of asking the question. The choice was clear. Coming off a career season and monster six-year, $144 million contract, there..." March 15

USA Today "There will be no official documentation of Cole Hamels' outing on Tuesday. And he's eternally grateful for that. Hamels was just getting his proverbial spring work in against the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team. Since it was an exhibition - not even a Grapefruit League game..." March 05

CSN Philly "Team USA officials asked Cole Hamels to pitch in the World Baseball Classic this spring. He politely declined. He’s saving his bullets for the fight for the National League East crown and battles beyond. “I don’t think it’s the smartest thing for pitchers to do,” Hamels said of the WBC...." February 24

Phillies Nation "It’s official: according to Ryan Lawrence, Cole Hamels will start the Grapefruit League opener against the Houston Astros this Saturday, with speculation running rampant that Hamels will also be pegged the Opening Day starter. Pitching coach Rich Dubee believes he will use Hamels, Roy Halladay,..." February 20

Allentown Morning Call "Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. might want to open his checkbook and buy the players on his 40-man roster some themed T-shirts. Anything with the phrase "underdog" on it will work for pitcher Cole Hamels, who made his request official at Monday's Philadelphia Sports Writers..." January 29

MLB.com "Cole Hamels gave a few Phillies fans a moment of panic earlier this month when word spread he suffered from a sore left shoulder late last season. Hamels' reaction when asked about it Tuesday? "I don't know of anything that happened," he insisted. "I've been healthy. That's the last thing on..." January 29

The Good Phight "I'd like to think that most people would see Cliff Lee's and Cole Hamels' 2012 seasons as a kind of death knell for the pitching "win" as a thing. One (it doesn't even matter which) threw 215 ? innings, another 211; one gave up 79 runs, one 80. One posted a 131 ERA+, one 127. In runs-allowed..." December 18

CSN Philly "Cole Hamels' brilliant 2012 season came to an end Sunday afternoon with seven innings and a win in Miami. Hamels retired the first 10 batters he faced with some of the best stuff he's shown all season and a few hours later his 17th win was cemented by Jonathan Papelbon's 38th save. "Without a..." October 01

Phillies Nation "What a season for Cole Hamels. He was clearly one of the few bright spots for the entirety of the year in Philadelphia, and that continued today as he fanned eight over seven innings in the Phillies 4-1 win. The victory gave him 17 on the season, a new career high. And with those eight..." September 30

The Good Phight "Cole Hamels has been either "the" ace or "an" ace of the Phillies almost since he made his major league debut in 2006. But for a variety of reasons, he's never made an Opening Day start. From 2007 through 2009, Brett Myers did the honors (in 2009, a minor injury pushed Hamels back); in each of the..." September 30

MLB.com "Cole Hamels rejoined the Phillies on Thursday after missing Wednesday's scheduled start because of a stomach illness. Turns out Hamels had a bad salad. But Hamels said he felt fine Thursday morning and is scheduled to make his next start Sunday evening against the Atlanta Braves at Turner..." August 30

CBSSports.com "Cole Hamels has been scratched from Wednesday's start with a gastrointestinal illness, according to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler. The Phillies have called up Tyler Cloyd to replace Hamels in the rotation. The start will be the first of Cloyd's career. The 25-year-old righty has a 2.26 ERA..." August 29

CSN Philly "It was slated to be a matchup between two pitchers contending for the Cy Young Award. In one corner was the Phillies' Cole Hamels, arguably putting together his best regular season. In the other was Johnny Cueto, the Reds' Tiant-esque righty whose style, flair and repertoire of pitches had him..." August 24

CSN Philly "When a team is 19 games out of first place in mid-August, you take your storylines where you can get them. For these down-and-out Phillies, there are only a handful of meaningful dramas to keep an eye on as the season moves into its final act. One is the auditions that young players such as..." August 19

CSN Philly "Though the Phillies have faded from contention, there are still storylines worth following on this team. Cole Hamels' place in the National League Cy Young race is certainly one of them. With seven weeks remaining in the season, Hamels is probably a second-tier candidate for the award. But..." August 14

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The same reason the Braves have been good for the last month or so is the same reason they've been so good lately against the Phillies – strong starting pitching. They'd won seven in a row against the Phillies – their longest streak since shortly after the Olympics left Atlanta in 1996 – by..." August 08

Yahoo! Sports "When he retires, Cole Hamels plans to get away from baseball. He's got kids to raise and businesses to run and life to live. That doesn't preclude him from playing fantasy GM now and again, constructing in his mind the sort of team he would build were he in charge. He knows one thing: There's..." July 27

Courier-Post "For Cole Hamels, remaining a Phillie was about recognizing a passionate fans base and remaining loyal to the organization that drafted him a decade ago. The newly minted $144 million man said money was never the issue. "You'd play for free?" quipped Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.,..." July 26

Grantland "Cole Hamels agreed to terms on a contract extension with the Phillies that will pay him $144 million over six years. Looks like the biggest move of the trade deadline [puts on sunglasses] … wasn't a trade at all. The deal is the second-largest ever for a pitcher, topping Johan Santana's..." July 25

CSN Philly "It appears Cole Hamels is staying with the Phillies. According to multiple reports, citing sources, Hamels has agreed to a six-year contract. FoxSports.com reports it is worth more than $137.5 million, and ESPN.com more than $140 million. The contract is the second largest for a starting..." July 25

Courier-Post "ESPN is reporting this morning that the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Cole Hamels have agreed to a six-year agreement worth a little more than $140 million. If the report based on sources is true, the 28-year-old Hamels will become the second-highest paid pitcher in history. Only the..." July 25

Philly.com "Another day has been erased from the calendar. Time is running out for teams and players to make decisions that will affect the remainder of this season as well as their future beyond this year. The trade deadline is only six days away. The Phillies continued to work on their first order of..." July 25

CSN Philly "Eight days before the trade deadline, the Phillies continue to try to get a contract extension hammered out with Cole Hamels. "They're trying -- actively trying," a person with knowledge of the situation told CSNPhilly.com on Monday afternoon. "They're making offers." Hamels will be eligible..." July 24

ESPN.com "The Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Cole Hamels' representatives expect to ramp up the pace of contract talks this week as they approach what a source said is a "sensitive" stage of negotiations. The two sides took a brief hiatus over the weekend, as Hamels pitched against San Francisco on..." July 23

San Francisco Chronicle "Matt Cain and Cole Hamels, who are expected to have contracts totaling more than $250 million by next season, each allowed five runs and three homers Saturday. Each went deep against the other in a game the Giants won when someone who missed a squeeze sign later bunted home the go-ahead..." July 22

Allentown Morning Call "As Cole Hamels walked off the mound Saturday evening, he tipped his hat to the crowd that was giving him a standing ovation. "The crowd knows you gave it all you had," Hamels said. "That's where you kind of justify saying thank you." And maybe, just maybe, Hamels also was saying good-bye to..." July 22

CSN Philly "On December 14, 2010, there was much rejoicing in the Phillies' little corner of the world. That was the day the club successfully lured Cliff Lee back to town with a five-year, $120 million contract. That was also the day that the road map for retaining Cole Hamels was drawn up. The people..." July 20

ESPN.com "The Philadelphia Phillies and Cole Hamels' agent, John Boggs, have picked up the pace of discussions in recent days, sources said, and those intensified discussions are an indication the Phillies have started a major push to sign Hamels before the July 31 trade deadline. Meanwhile, clubs that..." July 19

New York Post "The Phillies are operating on two planes with Cole Hamels, according to executives monitoring whether the lefty will be made available for trade. They are entrenched in serious negotiations to sign the lefty long term. However, in the words of one veteran AL scout, they also are "putting their..." July 18

Detroit Free Press "The Tigers need starting pitching. Let me rephrase that. They need quality, experienced starting pitching. That's hardly breaking news. There are at least two dozen other teams right now lamenting over the same deficiency. Whine all you wish regarding the gaping offensive hole at..." July 18

Courier-Post "Over the next few days, Cole Hamels will decide the Phillies' future. Simply, Hamels will accept or decline a newly padded contract the Phillies reportedly will offer in the next 24 to 48 hours. If he agrees to the deal, the lofty lefthander decides for the Phillies whether they will compete..." July 17

CBSSports.com "The Phillies are said to be planning to offer at least $120 million to star lefthander Cole Hamels in an effort to keep him in Philadelphia and prevent him from becoming a free agent, according to sources. The Phillies hope to to keep Hamels, but some people within the organization aren't..." July 16

MLB.com "The Phillies absolutely, positively have to do whatever it takes to sign ace left-hander Cole Hamels before he reaches the free-agent market at the end of the season. Unless, of course, they decide that they must use their biggest chip to begin looking toward the future before the July 31..." July 16

CSN Philly "There were so many scouts behind the backstop at Coors Field on Sunday afternoon that you could have built a campfire and made smores. Oh, wrong kind of scouts. These were baseball scouts, you know, the kind with straw hats, stop watches, radar guns, and questionable wardrobes. All the..." July 16

Courier-Post "Putting aside all the mid-season trade rumors swirling around him, Cole Hamels was all business Sunday. Hamels pitched eight innings of one-run ball, Hunter Pence hit a three-run homer and the Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-1, for their first series victory in nearly a month. "Cole..." July 16

ESPN.com "The Philadelphia Phillies are preparing a substantial offer to their soon-to-be-free-agent left-hander Cole Hamels in an attempt to determine whether they can sign him to an extension in the next two weeks, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday. However, the Phillies are aware that in order to..." July 13

Courier-Post "The Phillies' struggles are well documented. What's far less certain is what's next for the franchise, both in the long and short term. That short term may be short indeed for a team 13 games below .500 and 14 games out of the NL East lead. This team, which set a franchise-record with 102..." July 13

CSN Philly "To most Phillies fans, the image of Cole Hamels in another uniform is stomach-turning. But with the Fightins 13 games under .500 and the trade deadline less than three weeks away, it's a very real possibility. A recent column by Sports Illustrated's Jay Jaffe, in which he stated goal was to..." July 13

Los Angeles Times "The lockers of Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw were next to one another in the National League clubhouse, and Kershaw wasted no time throwing a recruiting pitch at Hamels. "You'd look good in Dodger blue," Kershaw told him. Hamels, the premier pitcher eligible for free agency, grew up in San..." July 11

CSN Philly "Accusations of ballot-stuffing swirled when the San Francisco Giants placed three position players in the National League's starting lineup for the All-Star Game. New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson scoffed when he heard that Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval had been voted the..." July 11

CSN Philly "There are a number of ways to measure the Phillies' growth as a franchise. Five straight NL East titles is one. (The streak is in serious jeopardy this season, but that's not what this story is about.) Economics are another. A dozen years ago, the Phillies were on the receiving end of..." July 11

CSN Philly "The possibility of Cole Hamels being traded later this month was a hot topic at All-Star festivities on Monday. Hamels answered waves of reporters' questions on the subject. Teammate Jonathan Papelbon answered one question about it – and the Phillies' closer gave a stern..." July 10

CSN Philly "Cole Hamels is handling the free-agent dance like a Fred Astaire in red pinstripes. In one breath, he says he loves Philadelphia, especially the fans, and appreciates all that the Phillies have done for him. And, by all means, he'd like to play his entire career in Philly, just like one of his..." July 10

Dallas Morning News "The Rangers are still keeping an eye on Brewers starter Zack Greinke, but would prefer Phillies lefty Cole Hamels if they make a trade, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Hamels was the World Series MVP of the Phillies' 2008 championship team and owns a 3.09 ERA in 13 career postseason..." July 10

CSN Philly "Does Cole Hamels want to remain a Phillie after this season? After spending 20 minutes with the All-Star lefty on Sunday morning, I would say the answer is yes. Of course, it's not that simple. Arriving at a new contract suitable to both parties will be a challenge. And then there is the lure..." July 09

Dallas Morning News "With the Philadelphia Phillies already 13.5 games back in their division, many expect the five-time reigning AL East champs to become big time sellers at the trade deadline. If they do, part of the purge could include dealing staff ace Cole Hamels, who is set to become a free agent at the end of..." July 08

Foxsports.com "Sources said Sunday that the Phillies were calling teams on left-hander Cole Hamels, informing them that he could be available at a steep price in trade. "Our goal is the same as it has been from the beginning," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday. "To sign him and keep him..." July 02

CBSSports.com "The Phillies dropped a bomb on the trade market when they recently began making calls to see about trade interest in Cole Hamels, CBSSports.com has learned. Hamels is a free agent after the year, and a source with knowledge of his contractual situation said there has been no progress made in..." July 01