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Miami Marlins Series Preview: Where Will Cole Hamels Land?

By Ehsan Kassim |
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Jul 10, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) is relieved in the fourth inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY

The long tortuous week of no baseball is almost over. With the All-Star game behind us, the Miami Marlins will finally get to get back on the field Friday, behind Jose Fernandez, to begin the second half of the 2015 season. 

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While this season has been a major letdown, it’s still better to be able to watch baseball than not. Even with the team losing as much as they have this season, television ratings have been good for the team, and that hopefully means long-term stability for a franchise that’s had its fair share of issues maintaining a fan base.

Next up for the Miami Marlins will be another team that has had a rough go of things in 2015, the Philadelphia Phillies. Coming into play Friday, only one team in the NL East separates the Marlins from the basement in the division, and that’s the Phillies.

We sat down with the Editor of FanSided’s Phillies site That Balls Outta Here, Matthew Veasey to get acquainted with his Phillies, as they prepare for the first series of the second half.

Cole Hamels and the trade rumors surrounding him were front and center in our chat.

Click “Next” to check out the chat we had.

Next: Meet the Phillies

Jun 18, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley (26) plays defense against the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Marlin Maniac: Let’s play the prediction game. What uniform do you see Cole Hamels, Johnathan Papelbon, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and any other notable Phillies on the block wearing?

Matthew Veasey: I would have to say at this point that both Howard & Utley are most likely going to remain with the Phils for the rest of this season. Chase probably does not vest his option, so it’s likely his final year in Philly. Hamels is no better than 50-50 to leave. The Phillies have understandably set a high price for him in trades. If you force me to call, I’ll say he stays. Papelbon almost certainly gets dealt. The heaviest rumors have been the Jays, but could be any contender who needs a closer. Wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees take a run at him, putting Miller & Betances back in dominant setup roles. Other Phils who could be dealt include Ben Revere, Jeff Francoeur, and any among Harang/Billingsley/Williams, if healthy and pitching reasonably well.

MM: Speaking of Hamels, how important is the return the Phillies get for him to the clubs future and what kind of package are the Phillies trying to get?

MV: Getting a premium return for Hamels, who is worth it, is paramount. The team should not deal him if no one antes up. It’s going to take at least one prospect from among a club’s top 2-3, another high prospect, and probably 1-2 more depth pieces. That is, unless the first two pieces are such strong prospects as to make it worthwhile with those alone. Think Seager or Urias from the Dodgers types.

MM: Obviously there is going to be some change in the Phillies front office, with Ruben Amaro being reduced to a lower role. What kind of changes do you see happening and will it be positive for the team? 

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MV: At the recent press conference to announce the hiring of Andy MacPhail, a very important secondary message was sent, that the ownership is now controlled by billionaire John Middleton. This is something many of us have been hoping/waiting for. Next is relieving Gillick of control, and the removal of Amaro from his position. Gillick leaves and MacPhail takes over following this season. Amaro is certain to be gone right after Gillick. So we should enter fall with new controlling ownership, a new club President, and a new GM. All positive, necessary steps. Problem is, at this current Trade Deadline, it seems to be Gillick/Amaro once again. We can only hope they either get good deals, or make none and leave it for MacPhail, the new GM, and the off-season.

MM: J.P. Crawford and Aaron Nola are two top 50 prospects in baseball in the Phillies system. What’s the ETA on both?

MV: Strong rumors that Nola would be up soon after the All-Star break. However, his most recent start was a slight step backwards. I think they try to get by these next couple of weeks using the same ugly rotation choices after Hamels, and bring Nola up maybe in August or September. I would not, however, be surprised to see him at any time now, if they either feel he is absolutely ready, or want an attendance boost, or both. He will see action, if healthy, this season. Crawford has been considered by some as a possible September callup, ala Maikel Franco last year. I don’t see it, and think it more likely that he finishes this year strong at AA, comes to spring training with the Phils next year, starts next year at AAA, and then sees the bigs.

UPDATE: if we catch it in time, the Phils have announced that Nola will make his debut next Tuesday, so that answers that one definitively now.

MM: How disappointing has the 2015 season been, with the Phillies holding the worst record in baseball headed into the All-Star break?

MV: Sad to say, not disappointing at all. Everyone expected this team to be bad, and we expected a last place finish. I think that exactly HOW bad they have been is a bit surprising. But when you consider that they never had Cliff Lee, that Chase was never healthy and played awfully, they simply have not had enough quality Major League first division players to compete most nights.

Next: Pitching Matchups and Predictions

Jun 21, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Adam Morgan (39) throws a pitch during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

MM: Can you give us a quick scouting report on the pitchers the Marlins will face this series? 

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MV: The Phils are scheduled to run out rookie Adam Morgan tonight, righty Chad Billingsley on Saturday, and Hamels on Sunday afternoon. We all know about Cole, one of the game’s best lefty’s. He needs to stay focused, not allow the trade talk and poor play around him to get to him, and limit the longball. Who knows what to expect from either Morgan or Billingsley? The kid has a chance to spin a solid 5-6 innings and keep them in it, but he also could implode early. Billingsley has been mostly awful since returning this year after missing most of the last two seasons. He has gone 5-6 innings in his starts, but has given up 10 hits in 2 of his last 3. The next two nights are chances for the Fish hitters to pad their averages/stats.

MM: How do you see the series playing out? Any bold predictions?

MV: The only thing that you can logically predict for the 2015 Phillies are losses. They are 18-25 at home, far better than their awful road record. However, more recently they went 3-9 on their last two homestands. Thing is, the Marlins are also a bad team, just not as bad. Without Giancarlo, I’ll say the Phils take 1 of 3, maybe the Hamels game.

~~~~~

That just about does it for our Phillies series primer. A big thanks to Matthew Veasey for taking the time to answer our questions, and make sure to check out That Balls Outta Here for all your Philadelphia Phillies coverage. You can follow Matthew and TBOH on Twitter as well.

Follow Marlin Maniac on Twitter @MarlinManiac for all your Miami Marlins news, opinion and analysis!

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