Chicago Cubs are better off not paying Cole Hamels $18 million

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(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

Left-hander Cole Hamels agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $18 million deal – and the Chicago Cubs are better off for it.

It’s been a busy day. The Hot Stove is at its hottest at any point of the offseason so far, with Zack Wheeler inking a five-year, $118 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore trading Dylan Bundy to the Los Angeles Angels. But the day got started with former Chicago Cubs hurler Cole Hamels inking a one-year, $18 million deal with the Atlanta Braves.

Hamels, who turns 36 later this month, spent the last year-and-a-half with Chicago, turning in a largely strong body of work. In 39 starts with the Cubs, the southpaw worked to a 3.86 FIP and 1.391 WHIP – helping lead the team to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year in 2018 with a masterful second half run.

After coming to the team via trade at the deadline, Hamels twirled gem after gem, turning in a 2.36 ERAR in a dozen starts. He even came on in relief during the NL Wild Card game, tossing two scoreless frames in the 13-inning affair.

This year got off to a similar start – when he tore out of the gate with a 2.98 ERA in the first half. But in 10 starts after he returned from an oblique injury, he limped to an unsightly 5.79 ERA, throwing clunker after clunker with the exception of his final start in a Cubs uniform.

Chicago Cubs may have hurt themselves with Hamels’ injury

But that didn’t detract the Braves, who bolster a rotation that already features the likes of Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz. If we’re being honest, they probably shouldn’t be too concerned – especially given Hamels’ recent comments about his pushing to come back from the injury too soon.

“Then trying to come back, I knew that I needed to be back there because I was doing so well and so after healing up and not throwing a ball for almost 18 days, I rushed back into my throwing program and I was just never able to get my shoulder the right strength,” Hamels told NBC Sports Chicago. “I felt like, you know what, it will slowly go, it will be more like a spring training. But when you’re in games that count, you’re gonna grind away and put a little bit more effort on it when you probably can’t sustain it and my shoulder was just getting more tired and more tired.

Our friends at Bleacher Nation have some thoughts on how the Cubs handled this (among other) injuries – and it’s definitely worth taking a quick look. But the long and short of it is pretty simple: the team has been nothing short of abysmal when it comes to managing injuries in recent years and that no doubt played a part in Theo Epstein cleaning house in that regard this offseason.

Simply put, when Hamels was healthy, he was as reliable as ever. For much of his time in Chicago, he was the team’s most reliable and consistent starter – which became even more critical in 2019 as Yu Darvish struggled once again early and guys like Jon Lester and Jose Quintana failed to pitch up to expectations.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs face stiffer competition in the NL Central moving forward

So if Hamels is focused on proving he’s at 100 percent and staying healthy over the course of the 2020 campaign, I have no reason to believe he won’t be. This guy has been around and knows his body and what it takes to endure the grind of a 162-game regular season.

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All that being said, I still think the Cubs are better off moving on from the former NLCS and World Series MVP. If the team truly wants to build a long-term contender and quit focusing on ‘competitive windows’ rather than being in the hunt annually, signing stopgap starting pitchers isn’t the answer.

Atlanta is set up to contend and potentially win the National League East once again in 2020. The Phillies look ready to take down the Braves with the Wheeler acquisition – but there’s a pretty clear path to the top for the club.

Meanwhile, the Cubs are looking at an increasingly competitive division with the Reds making a huge splash this week, signing Mike Moustakas to a four-year deal. Pair Cincinnati with the likes of St. Louis and Milwaukee and it’s hard to see Chicago being able to take advantage of the last two years of its current core control.

But by taking that $18 million in payroll and investing it in controllable assets – whether that be in position players or pitching – the Cubs have a chance to actually extend that window and be competitive past 2021. It’s no sure thing – but the odds for staying competitive definitely improve when you’re focusing on re-stocking young talent, rather than paying up for again, albeit proven names.

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So good luck to Hamels in Atlanta. They’re getting a good one – a big game pitcher, a consummate professional and a guy you can’t help but love. And, as my wife repeatedly noted, a man who looks far too good to be so good at baseball – some guys are just blessed, I guess.

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