Former Phillies Ace Cole Hamels Set for Mid-July Showcase

Former Phillies ace Cole Hamels will hold a free-agent showcase next week.

The Philadelphia Phillies have won five of their last seven games entering their interleague road series opposite the Boston Red Sox. Their 8-0 shutout win against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday was highlighted with a three-home run performance from Brad Miller.

The blasts marked the first game a Phillies player has slugged at least three home runs since Jayson Werth in 2008.

Less than a day later, another player who donned red pinstripes during that magical season has likewise resurfaced in headlines.

According to baseball scribes Jon Heyman and Bob Nightengale, former World Series MVP Cole Hamels will hold a showcase for interested teams in Texas next Friday, July 16. The left-handed veteran has battled a slew of injuries in recent seasons but reportedly is now healthy.

Many teams are expected to show up, Heyman reports. Whether the Phillies are among them remains to be seen. Considering starting pitchers Matt Moore and Vince Velasquez have been anything but consistent this season — and with Spencer Howard appearing to be transitioning to a bullpen role — the Phillies would only be doing themselves a disservice if they don’t at least take a flier and see what their former ace has left in the tank.

Hamels recently placed his Delco house on the market for $2.5 million, but that does not rule out that he would not consider a reunion with the franchise that drafted him in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2002 amateur draft.

The Phillies traded the now-37-year-old — along with fellow left-hander Jake Diekman — almost exactly six years ago, to the Texas Rangers. In return, they received Jorge Alfaro, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Jake Thompson, and Nick Williams. None of these players remain in the organization. It is notable, however, that former general manager Matt Klentak included Alfaro as part of the package that brought perennial All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia.

The Phillies have just a few games remaining until the All-Star break. Then, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will have plenty of added time to think about potential moves to bolster the roster for the second half. Perhaps, signing Hamels will be among those transactions.