Peter Gammons: Phils May Want To Sign Hamels, Trade Cliff Lee
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It will be a different focus for Philadelphia fans this July than it's been in recent years. Instead of wondering which player the Phillies will acquire for the stretch run, the question will be which players the Phillies will trade away. The name at the top of every list is Cole Hamels.
"Ruben's been talking to people to see what's out there for him to get, should they make the decision [to trade Hamels]," MLB insider Peter Gammons told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show. "I don't think it'll happen in a matter of days ... now they have Utley and Howard back, they're getting Halladay back, let's just see if they can get a little spark."
"The reality is [the Phillies] are closer to the Astros, than they are to the Brewers," Gammons said. "The problem that Ruben has, and I think it's a serious issue, is if you're dealing either Hamels or [Zack] Greinke, because each one can be free agents at the end of the year and the compensation for free agents has changed so much," he said.
"I'm still, in the back of my mind, and I'm sure I'm wrong here. But I keep thinking Is there a possibility that they'll see if they can, in the next couple of weeks, if we can get in an area, where we can sign Hamels and trade Cliff Lee, because you could get more for Cliff Lee than you can for Hamels," Gammons said.
