Braves Continue Aggressive Offseason and Sign Former Cubs and Phillies Starter Cole Hamels
By Thomas Carannante
The Atlanta Braves and general manager Alex Anthopoulos are clearly going for it all based on their moves early in the offseason.
After beefing up their bullpen with the signings of Will Smith, Chris Martin and Darren O'Day, Atlanta is upgrading their starting rotation after reportedly agreeing to a deal with former Chicago Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels.
Left-hander Cole Hamels and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a one-year, $18 million deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 4, 2019
If not for injuries and an uncharacteristically horrible month-long stretch, Hamels could've very well been one of the hottest names in free agency this offseason. Instead, he flew under the radar, and the Braves essentially signed him in place of Dallas Keuchel, who is likely gone.
Hamels, a veteran left-hander with ample postseason experience, finished 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 27 starts last season. His half-season with the Cubs in 2018 was also incredible -- he went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 12 outings.
#Braves land Cole Hamels at a reported $18M coming off a 2.5 fWAR season with a 3.81 ERA in 27 starts for the Cubs.
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) December 4, 2019
Wheeler was said to be out of Atlanta's price range. Was that the same with Bumgarner too?
The Braves' young rotation will benefit exponentially with Hamels now on the staff, so expect to see an uptick in production from Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz, all of whom still have a lot to learn.
Did we forget to mention Hamels spent 10 years in the NL East?