Ryan Howard Reportedly Swaying Cole Hamels to Braves Instead of Phillies is Cold Blooded
By Karl Rasmussen
The Atlanta Braves signed veteran lefty Cole Hamels on a one-year, $18 million deal on Wednesday, and now it's been revealed that some former MLB players may have helped convince Hamels that Atlanta was the best destination for him.
Hamels claims to have talked with both former Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur and ex-Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who apparently had nothing but good things to say about the Braves.
Hamels says he had conversations with Jeff Francoeur and Ryan Howard (who is also good friends with Freddie Freeman), who both had good things to say about the #Braves org.
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) December 4, 2019
From a Phillies perspective, as a team that was also in pursuit of the 35-year-old, this is a cold blooded move from Howard. Howard could have tried to push Hamels towards signing a reunion deal with the Phillies.
After all, the pair were teammates in Philadelphia from 2006-2015, so for the veteran to return to his former stomping grounds would have made a lot of sense.
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
Someone needs to remind Howard where he played for his entire 13-year MLB career, because the big fella did not do the Phils any favors with this recruitment.