CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- The Chicago Cubs on Friday exercised a $20 million team option on left-hander Cole Hamels for 2019, but not before maneuvering to create some salary relief.
In bringing back Hamels, the Cubs also traded left-hander Drew Smyly and his $7 million base salary to the Texas Rangers. The deal also included a player to be named going back to each side at a later date. Smyly missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2017.
Hamels' contract also carried a $6 million buyout, which the Rangers would've been responsible for had the Cubs declined the team option. (This way, the Cubs have a net salary gain of $13 million to retain Hamels, and the Rangers essentially are paying $1 million for Smyly.) But declining that option would've put Hamels on the open market and created uncertainty for the Cubs, who had expressed the importance of bringing Hamels back.
Acquired from the Rangers in late July, Hamels went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 12 starts for the Cubs down the stretch. He had struggled in Texas prior to that and posted a 5-9 record with a 4.72 ERA for the season. Hamels turns 35 in December.
The Cubs also were thrilled with how Hamels fit in the team's clubhouse.
"Cole was such a breath of fresh air for us," president of baseball opertions Theo Epstein said on Oct. 3. "He made an unbelievable impression. I think for a guy who has only been here for a couple months, he's as universally respected in that room as anyone I've ever seen. He's a pro's pro and contributed tremendously on the field and off the field with a great, engaged, accountable, positive presence in that clubhouse who really cares about his teammates and helped make them better by example and by discussion too."
Hamels projects to be a mid-rotation or back-end starter for the Cubs, who continue to be led by Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks.
"We are looking to have as much depth as possible in our rotation," Epstein said.
