PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Cole Hamels will be making a homecoming, but not the one some Phillies fans may have wanted. The San Diego native is heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Jon Heyman of Audacy Sports.
In July, the Phils were one of several teams to attend a showcase for the 37-year-old Hamels. Over recent days, the Phillies president of baseball operations spoke highly of it, but this Tuesday on his Phils Radio Network appearance, David Dombrowski changed his tone. He said he will wait and see, but a Philadelphia reunion is probably more of a long shot.
"He's a guy we've talked to," Dombrowski told Phils broadcaster Scott Franzke. "I know that there's another organization or two that are trying to pursue him, so I'm not sure if we're going to be able to get that done or not."
Hamels, a 2002 first-round pick, pitched for the Phillies for parts of 10 seasons from 2006 through 2015. His crowning moment was winning the 2008 World Series -- capturing MVP in that series against the Rays and the NLCS against the Dodgers.
Go figure.
His final start for the Phillies was July 25, 2015, when he pitched a no-hitter at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.
Dombrowski improved the Phillies rotation prior to the trade deadline with the acquisition of Kyle Gibson. He also dealt for reliever Ian Kennedy, which allowed the Phillies to move Ranger Suárez to the rotation.
That said, a team can never have too much pitching depth, and Hamels might have helped.
