Padres News: Cole Hamels Signing Minor League Deal with San Diego
Longtime MLB veteran Cole Hamels is signing a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. MLB insider Jon Heyman was first to report on the agreement.
Hamels has had a long MLB career, which began in 2006 with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 39-year-old hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2020, and was last with the Los Angeles Dodgers — however, he couldn't stay healthy and didn't help contribute on the field.
Over the course of his 15-year career, Hamels has made four All-Star teams, and finished as high as fifth in Cy Young voting. His most recent All-Star appearance came in 2016 with the Texas Rangers, but as recent as 2019, he was still pitching with decent stuff.
In 2019 with the Chicago Cubs, Hamels went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 27 starts.
Hamels is just signing a minor league deal with the Friars, so there's no guarantee he makes it to the big leagues, at all. However, he'll add a ton of experience to the roster, and will definitely be a big help in teaching some of the younger guys in the rotation and bullpen. It's a true no-risk, medium-reward move.
Also, Hamels is from San Diego and attended Rancho Bernardo High School. So it's a nice way to cap off his MLB career, if this ends up being the end.
