The Phillies are 'in no rush' to trade Cole Hamels
Once again, Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels is one of the most intriguing names in trade talks.
All around baseball, people have already matched up the pitching-thirsty Boston Red Sox as the best suitor for Hamels, though you have to figure no team would turn down his services. The Red Sox, though, have the biggest surplus of hitters.
Not so fast, says Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who's been sitting on his hands since last July's trade deadline. The Phillies didn't make any moves at the trade deadline, even though they seemed like a primer seller, with many well-known Phillies swirling in trade rumors.
As the rumors swirl again, especially about Hamels, Amaro told ESPN's Jayson Stark that his club isn't rushing into anything:
"I'm in no rush to do it," Ruben Amaro Jr. told ESPN.com. "I have to do what's right for this organization."
And further:
"This is one of the best starting pitchers in baseball," Amaro said. "He's at a level with the [Clayton] Kershaws and [Jon] Lesters and [David] Prices. And some of the metrics say he's even better in some respects. So like I've said, he's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we don't have to trade him. And if we do decide to move him, it will be for something we think is appropriate."
Amaro says he's already had "some very appealing offers" for his ace -- just "not one I like enough to move on yet." So the talks will go on.
While many in Philadelphia think Amaro's bungling the team's roster reconstruction, he's probably making the right move here. For right now, at least.
There are some alluring starting pitcher options still on the market — Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields, among them — so the urge to pony up for Hamels' services hasn't reached its apex yet. If the Red Sox don't get Lester, who they're also pursuing, then they might be more desperate to get Hamels from the Phillies and pay a higher price.
Walking that line, though, between holding out for the best trade and watching a good deal walk away can be tough. The rebuilding of the Phillies might depend on Amaro getting this one right.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
