By David F. Cohen
Everybody in Philly has an opinion on how the Phillies can trade lefty ace Cole Hamels, who is the best bargaining chip to get some real prospects that will be the foundation of a rebuild.
Of course, the only person whose opinion seems to matter is general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who in five years in the job has demonstrated no ability to judge talent, manage the payroll or negotiate successfully.
Otherwise, Hamels would have been traded a while ago.
The Red Sox have reportedly made an offer for Hamels, but they haven’t yet put together a deal in which the Phillies are interested.
“This is a team that needs young players,” Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy said about the Phils on CSN New England. “They don’t need five nickels for a quarter … This is like the (Red Sox’) effort to sign Jon Lester. It’s not enough to get it done. (The Sox) are fully prepared — and they have been since December — to go with what they’ve got.”
CSN’s Trenni Kusnierek suggested that Mookie Betts and Blake Swihart are valuable trade pieces, but that the Red Sox are likely unwilling to part with them. Who is a viable option?
“I think (Henry) Owens is always a guy in the conversation, because he’s left-handed and he throws fairly hard,” Shaughnessy said. “They don’t want to part with a Bogaerts, a Betts or a Swihart. The Swihart thing — you have two catchers, and I know he’s projected to be an All-Star. Well, give them (Christian) Vazquez.”
