San Diego Padres fans react to team agreeing to deal with 4-time All-Star pitcher Cole Hamels: "Rooting for Cole" "He’s coming home"
The San Diego Padres agreed to a minor-league contract with free-agent pitcher Cole Hamels on Thursday. Terms have not been disclosed, but it is believed the San Diego native will receive an invite to the big-league camp at Padres Spring Training Camp in Peoria, Ariz.
Cole Hamels, 39, is a four-time All-Star and was one of the game's top pitchers for over a decade with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. However, he has not pitched at the major-league level since one game with the Atlanta Braves in 2020 due to shoulder and triceps injuries. His last victory came with the Chicago Cubs in 2019.
Free-agent pitcher Cole Hamels and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a minor-league contract, according to a source familiar with the deal.
The San Diego Padres are still seeking depth in their starting rotation after Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and the recently-signed Michael Wacha. Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo are currently penciled in for the de facto fifth and sixth spots in the rotation, but both are more suited to relief work.
But could Cole Hamels be the answer? No one knows. Yet, a minor-league deal is a high reward/low risk proposition.
Oh no I am just now seeing this. Rooting for Cole. twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
twitter.com/ByRobertMurray…Come back player of the year 👀 twitter.com/ByRobertMurray…
Oh that’s sick. Minor league deal so no risk too twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
This is likely to be Cole Hamels' last shot at a continued major-league existence. With the San Diego Padres, he brings his it all back to where he started -- literally. Hamels was born in San Diego.
There were also a few jabs at the Padres for passing on Hamels in the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft. San Diego chose shortstop Khalil Greene with the 13th pick in the first round, while the Philadelphia Phillies snagged Hamels four selections later.
While Greene was the National League Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2004, his time in San Diego lasted just six seasons. By 2009, at the age of 29, he was out of baseball.
He isn’t nearly what he was in his prime, but he’s having a chance to go back home in a sense since he’s from the area, and I’m happy he may get that chance. People may talk shit on him but honestly he’s determined to end his career on his terms and I have respect for that. twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
Rancho Bernardo legend twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
@ByRobertMurray Should’ve just drafted him to begin with
With Greene's time with the Padres coming to an end in 2008, Hamels was in fine form with the Phillies. He led the team to the World Series title that season, earning the National League Championship Series and World Series MVP awards along the way.
While Hamels is possibly finally going to be wearing San Diego brown, is it too late for him to have any positive impact on his hometown team?
As a coach or a player? twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
I’m hoping they get the 2005 version of Cole Hamels twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
This would have been fire 10 years ago now I’m like ehhh cool twitter.com/byrobertmurray…
Of course, the Padres signing Hamels may just be a way of showing that AJ Preller just can't help himself when it comes to attempting to acquire, well... everyone?
Manfred comes out with his it's not sustainable speech, and the Padres keep signing players. This is the polite way of AJ and Papa Pete saying Go Fuck Yourself. twitter.com/ByRobertMurray…
Pitching for the San Diego Padres would be a fitting farewell for Cole Hamels
A great career deserves a proper farewell -- at least a better one than throwing 3-1/3 innings in a single game with the Braves. If Cole Hamels can make the San Diego Padres roster and help them win at least a few games, it's a far better goodbye to the game than his previous exit in 2020.