Former Phillies star Cole Hamels still plans to pitch in 2022, despite missing almost all of the last two MLB seasons
A former Philadelphia Phillies star is one of the oldest free agents on the market, though he won’t be healthy in time for Opening Day. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Cole Hamels intends to continue pitching. His agent has informed people that Hamels, who will be 38 next month and has not appeared in a big-league game since 2020, would be “game-ready by late summer.”
In the most polite way possible, an MLB team would have to be pretty desperate to take a flyer on Hamels, whose last real season was 2019; he has been hampered by injuries and surgeries ever since.
It’s been a hard fall from stardom for Hamels, who was the homegrown star and World Series MVP of the 2008 Phillies championship team. He started just one game for the Atlanta Braves in 2020. Despite Phillies fans clamoring for the team to bring him back in 2021, Hamels signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a thing for signing members of the 2008 Phillies, instead. It worked out in the Phillies’ favor, as Hamels never pitched in Dodger blue. He underwent another shoulder surgery after being placed on the 60-day Injured List, ending his comeback before it began.
While Hamels deserves to end his career on his terms, it may not be up to him at this point. The Braves and Dodgers paid him millions for little to no return, and it’s hard to envision another team seeing that happen and being willing to do the same. A team might offer him a minor-league contract, but at this point, he’s too risky to put on a 26-man roster.
There is a nobility in perseverance, but there is also a nobility in knowing when to walk away with dignity.