Free Agent Signees the Marlins Shouldn’t Be Afraid of

Cole Hamels

Another four-time all-star, Cole Hamels’ last such campaign was in 2016, when he was 15-5 with a 3.32 ERA for the Texas Rangers. He’s struck out just under a batter-per-inning through his 14-season major league career, and will start his age-36 season in 2020 with an as yet undetermined team.

Hamels just completed the final year of an eight-year, $173 million deal he originally signed while with the Phillies. From 2008 through 2016, he topped 200 innings in every season but one, and in that one, he threw 193 1/3. Since then, he’s fell short of that mark in all three years, pitching just 141 2/3 innings this season for the Chicago Cubs. He also turned in the worst WHIP of his career, by a wide margin in 2019 with a mark of 1.391.

Hamels isn’t quite a top-flight starter at this point of his career, but I’m sure someone will pony up a decent deal for him. Instead of a multi-year contract, however, I believe it’s a lot more likely that he goes for a one- or two-year contract. The Marlins could do far worse than making a play for the second-best “Cole” on the market.