Is it too early to declare a winner between the Phillies and Rangers in the Cole Hamels trade from two years ago?
Tonight the Phillies open a series in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. Almost two years ago, on July 31st 2015, Cole Hamels was traded to the Texas. This trade showed the Phillies intent to finally move past the glory years of old, and move toward the future.
While Hamels will not be pitching in this series, or for some time as he is on the disabled list, lets take a look back at how the players involved in the blockbuster trade have fared.
Cole Hamels was the major piece in the deal, having come off of a no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs in what would be his last start as a Phillie. The Rangers were looking for an ace to help their postseason push. Hamels would be traded to Texas after 20 starts with an era of 3.64, a 6-7 win loss record, and 137 strikeouts amounting to a 9.58 K/9 for the Phillies in the first half.
His numbers in the second half of the season were fairly similar, with a 3.65 era and 8.39 K/9. The biggest change would be Hamel’s win loss record while in Texas. After finishing under .500 for the first half in Philadelphia, in 12 regular season starts for the Rangers, he flashed a 7-1 record.
In his first full season as a Ranger in 2016, Hamels would wind up with a 15-5 record, a 3.32 era and 200 strikeouts. Before being derailed by an injury in 2017, Hamels stats were a 3.03 era with a 2-0 record and 15 strikeouts in five starts.
The main reason Hamels was acquired was for his terrific postseason record. The Rangers needed a proven postseason ace to help them achieve the ultimate goal of a World Series championship. Hamels had mixed results in his short postseason career to date in Texas.
After two starts in the 2015 postseason with a 2.70 era, and 14 strikeouts, Hamels imploded in his lone start in the 2016 postseason, surrendering six earned runs in just 3.1 inning pitched equating to a 16.20 era.
Also traded to the Rangers was Phillies reliever Jake Diekman, who pitched in 26 games in 2015 for the Rangers with a 2.08 era, and 66 games in the 2016 season with a 3.40 era out of the bullpen. Like Hamels, he has also found his way to the disaabled list after having surgery to treat colitis. He is slated to miss at least half of 2017.
In return, the Phillies received Jerad Eickhoff, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Matt Harrison, and Alec Asher.
Matt Harrison was the only player received in the deal with significant Major League experience. Harrison was a former 18 game winner who had struggled with injuries and was essentially a salary dump in this deal. The Phillies would release Harrison on November 15, 2016 without him having thrown a pitch for the team.
Alec Asher, like Harrison, is no longer with the Phillies organization. Asher looked good in the minors before struggling at the Major League level with the Phillies giving up 30 earned runs in 29 innings pitched at the big league level in 2015.
Asher would eventually become injured and then be suspended 80 games for PED use in 2016. He is currently in the Orioles organization.
The two other pitchers involved, Jake Thompson and Jerad Eickhoff, have been polar opposites in their production at the big league level to date. Thompson, who was a higher regarded prospect at the time of the trade, has struggled in his appearances at the Major League level. In 2016 he started 10 games with a 3-6 record and era of 5.70. In three appearances this season primarily out of the bullpen he has an era of 9.00.
Eickhoff on the other hand, has shown to be a quality Major League pitcher with upside. He started three games with AAA Affiliate Lehigh Valley before being called up to the Phillies, and has remained with the team ever since.
Once reaching the Phillies in 2015 Eickhoff started eight games with a 3-3 record, 2.65 era and 49 strikeouts. After a small sample size in the MLB in 2015, Eickhoff built on his success in a full season in 2016. He started 33 games with an 11-14 win loss record, 3.65 era and 167 strikeouts.
In 2017, he has struggled a bit at times with a 4.76 era in seven games started, with zero wins and 35 strikeouts. While showing great promise, time will tell if Eickhoff can overcome his struggles so far this year and get back on track.
The two position players acquired, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielder Nick Williams, are both currently with the AAA affiliate Lehigh Valley, and both project to be fixtures in the Phillies lineup for years to come.
Williams hit .258 with Lehigh Valley in 2016 with 13 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 78 runs. In 2017 to date, he is batting .256 with two home runs, 12 RBIs and 13 runs through 35 games. At times Williams has shown great promise in his time in the minors. However, along with his successes have also come struggles at the plate and with maturity.
Williams was benched multiple times during the 2016 season for not running out plays. When interviewed Williams stated the following:
“I’ve never ever cared about what people think about me,” Williams said. “If their last name isn’t Williams or they don’t pay me, put food on my table and a roof over my head, then I could care less. If they watched my games, watch the plays I make on defense, watch me run the bases, try to do anything that I can to win. They’ll have no problem with that.”
So far in 2017, Williams has not had any incidents. He will need to keep things that way if he wants to be with the big league club in the near future.
The prospect from the deal performing the most impressive is catcher Jorge Alfaro.
Alfaro was injured when he was acquired in the deal, however has not looked back since becoming healthy.
In 97 games in AA in 2016 he batted .297 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs. This season he started in AAA where he has continued to produce with a stat line of a .297 average, three home runs and 14 RBIs in 29 games. Alfaro was called up twice in 2016 for brief stints, making his early numbers a virtual outlier.
Next: Phillies vs Rangers: Five questions to ask
When looking back at a blockbuster deal, it is always debated as to who has won the trade. In the case of this specific trade, the jury is still out. The Rangers have gotten some great performances out of Hamels, just as the Phillies organization has seen signs of a bright future through some of the prospects acquired.
Ultimately, the goal for both teams involved was to win a World Series with pieces acquired in this transaction. The Rangers goal was a short-term one after this deal, while the Phillies is a long-term plan. Only time will tell if either organization can achieve their goal, and if the pieces involved attribute to that success. As a result the debate over the true winner will need to wait until a later time.