Padres: Don't Expect to See Cole Hamels Pitch Any Time Soon
Last week, the Padres signed former NLCS and World Series MVP Cole Hamels to a minor-league contract. Hamels hasn't pitched in the big leagues since he tossed 3.1 innings for the 2020 Braves, but the 39-year-old lefty from Rancho Bernardo is looking to make it back to the big leagues with his hometown Friars.
As San Diego manager Bob Melvin told the media on Wednesday, though, that MLB comeback won't be happening any time soon.
"We're gonna take it day to day with him. You're not gonna see him in a spring training game — he's not to that point. He's probably a little bit later on in the season, but it's nice to be able to pick up depth like that, knowing that later on, middle of the season, a couple months in, whatever it might be, that you have somebody like him potentially to draw from, it just adds to the depth. And certainly, he's had a nice career and he's pretty motivated to get back and pitch in the big leagues again."
Hamels was a legitimate star early in his career with the Phillies, making three All-Star teams and leading Philadelphia to the 2008 World Series title. Philly sent him to the Rangers at the 2015 trade deadline, and while he made one All-Star team with Texas in 2016, he wasn't quite the pitcher he had been in his prime. Hamels spent parts of four seasons with the Rangers before bouncing to the Cubs and Braves from 2018-20.
Reading between the lines of Melvin's comments, it seems like San Diego isn't expecting much from Hamels this year, and they'll view any contributions he might make as a bonus. The Dodgers took the same flier on Hamels in 2021, but he never came close to being ready for the big leagues.
Will things fare better for Hamels and the Padres in 2023? The odds are stacked against it, but it would be a heck of a story.
