Former Rangers Starter Cole Hamels Seeks Return

The former World Series MVP pitched for the Rangers from 2015-18 before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

Former Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels is reportedly interested in playing again, according to the New York Post.

The Post reported the news on Twitter after the conclusion of the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego. The Post sited Hamels’ agent, John Boggs, as the source.

Hamels, 38, hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2020.

The report didn’t cite a specific team that Hamels wanted to pitch for.

Hamels is a 15-year veteran who pitched for the Rangers in parts of four seasons beginning in 2015. The Rangers acquired Hamels in a trade on July 31, 2015, as they were looking to bolster their rotation for a playoff drive. The Rangers received Hamels and Jake Diekman for Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Alec Asher and Jerad Eickhoff.

The move paid off in 2015, as Hamels went 7–1 in 12 starts with a 3.66 ERA to help the Rangers win the American League West.

Hamels played the next two full seasons for the Rangers, going 15-5 in 2016 and earning an All-Star appearance, and 11-6 in 2017 in a season cut short by injury. In 2018, Hamels went 5-9 for Texas before he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline for Eddie Butler, Rollie Lacy and Alexander Ovalles.

Hamels won the 2008 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies, earning World Series MVP honors that season. The four-time All-Star went 163-122 for his career. He last pitched for Atlanta in 2020, going 0-1 in one start. Hamels did sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, but an arm injury prevented him from playing.

The Rangers have spent this offseason fortifying their rotation for 2023, signing Martín Pérez to a one-year qualifying offer, signing former Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to a five-year contract and signing Andrew Heaney to a two-year deal. The Rangers also traded for Atlanta starter Jake Odorizzi. Jon Gray, who joined the Rangers last season as a free agent, rounds out the projected rotation.

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