Hamels (shoulder) officially retired from baseball after 15 seasons in the majors Friday.
The 39-year-old lefty had been attempting to come back from a shoulder procedure he underwent in November 2021, but Hamels will call it a career after not pitching in a game since 2020. The 2008 World Series MVP will finish with a career 163-122 record alongside a 3.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and four All-Star selections.
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Padres' Cole Hamels: Team hopes he can help by midseason
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Hamels (shoulder) has looked better than expected in throwing sessions and the Padres are hopeful he can be an option for them around midseason, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Hamels agreed to a minor-league contract with the Friars in mid-February and is being eased back into things this spring following all of the missed time due to shoulder issues. The veteran left-hander appears to be healthy now, though, and has apparently surprised the team by how well he's been throwing. Hamels figures to stay in extended spring training for a while before joining a minor-league affiliate to make some starts.
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Padres' Cole Hamels: Not slated for Cactus League games
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Hamels (shoulder) is not expected to appear in any Cactus League games this spring, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Hamels did throw a successful bullpen session Thursday in Padres camp, but the plan calls for him to take it easy over the next month or so as he continues his recovery from September 2021 shoulder surgery. The veteran left-hander is slated to begin pitching in games at extended spring training soon after camp breaks. He inked a minor-league contract with San Diego on Feb. 16.
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Padres' Cole Hamels: Agrees to minors deal with Padres
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Hamels (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Presumably, he's getting an invitation to spring training as part of a deal which would be worth $2 million if he's in the majors, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The San Diego native made one start in 2020 and none the last two seasons, but he isn't ready to hang it up yet at 39 years of age. Hamels had shoulder surgery back in November of 2021 but reportedly looked good in an audition for teams in January. Obviously, he's a long shot to be a significant contributor at this point, but on a minor-league deal there's little downside from the Padres' perspective.
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Cole Hamels: Holds audition for teams
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Hamels (shoulder) held a showcase for interested teams Friday in Arlington, Texas, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Per Heyman, Hamels looked very good during the workout and could generate a decent amount of free-agent interest coming out of it. The veteran southpaw hasn't pitched in the majors since 2020 because of lingering complications with his throwing shoulder. If he is now indeed healthy, Hamels might get a camp invite from someone at age 39.
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Cole Hamels: Undergoes surgery
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Hamels recently underwent shoulder surgery, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Hamels made just one start during the 2021 campaign due to shoulder and arm issues, but he doesn't plan to retire during the offseason. Following his recent procedure, the 37-year-old is hopeful that he'll be ready to return to game action late in the summer during the 2022 season.
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Dodgers' Cole Hamels: Not ready to retire
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Hamels (arm) said Monday that he has no plans to retire and plans to attempt another comeback in 2022, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
While recovering from the left shoulder injury he sustained late in the 2020 campaign as a member of Atlanta, Hamels delayed signing until August, when he reached a one-year deal with the Dodgers. The veteran southpaw was expected to be a rotation option for Los Angeles in September, but those plans were foiled when he experienced renewed pain in his left arm two weeks ago and was subsequently shut down for the season. Despite having made only one start in the majors the past two seasons and having now endured multiple arm-related setbacks, Hamels isn't deterred from giving it a go for his age-38 season in 2022. Hamels will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal over the winter and likely won't be guaranteed a rotation spot with any team heading into spring training.
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Dodgers' Cole Hamels: Placed on 60-day IL
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Hamels was placed on the 60-day injured list with an arm injury Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Hamels joined the Dodgers on a major-league deal in early August and was working on building back up to full strength after he missed most of the 2020 campaign due to a shoulder injury. However, the southpaw recently experienced arm pain and will be unavailable for the remainder of the season following his placement on the 60-day IL. Hamels will become a free agent during the offseason and has made just one major-league appearance since 2019. The 37-year-old southpaw's career could be over following his latest arm-related setback.
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Dodgers' Cole Hamels: Tosses simulated game
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Hamels (not injury related) threw one inning in a simulated game Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Hamels' sim inning went well and said that the left-hander threw some additional warm-up pitches. Hamels was signed to a major-league contract Wednesday after throwing only 3.1 innings with Atlanta last season, so he'll need considerable time to ramp up. Per Juan Toribio of MLB.com, the team would like the veteran hurler to get up to five innings in sim games before joining the active roster.
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Dodgers' Cole Hamels: Reaches MLB deal with Dodgers
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Hamels and the Dodgers came to terms Wednesday on a one-year, $1 million deal, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network was first to report the Dodgers were nearing a deal with the four-time All-Star, who has made only one MLB start since the 2019 season due to recurring shoulder issues. The 37-year-old avoided offseason surgery, and though he wasn't able to get back to full health in time for spring training, Hamels has been throwing bullpen sessions in showcase events for the past month and looks to be back to 100 percent at this point. Because of his prolonged shutdown, Hamels will have to go through a de facto spring training at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona, so he won't be immediately activated. Assuming he's able to get ramped up over the next month, Hamels could join the Dodgers in late August or early September and fill a depth role in a Los Angeles rotation that's currently missing multiple starters. During his last healthy season in 2019 with the Cubs, Hamels posted a 3.81 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 143:56 K:BB in 141.2 innings.
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Cole Hamels: Nearing deal with Dodgers
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Hamels is expected to finalize a deal with the Dodgers on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Even after the Dodgers swung a blockbuster deal for Max Scherzer prior to last week's trade deadline, the team is still in need of additional starting depth while Clayton Kershaw (forearm), Tony Gonsolin (shoulder) and Danny Duffy (forearm) are on the injured list and while Trevor Bauer's status for the rest of the season is in limbo. Los Angeles looks prepared to turn to Hamels to fill the void, but given that he hasn't pitched in a competitive game in 2021, he'll likely need some time to ramp up for starting duty. After recurring shoulder problems torpedoed his 2020 season with Atlanta, the four-time All-Star is healthy again and reportedly impressed in his recent throwing showcases in front of several teams.
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Cole Hamels: Touches 90 in showcase
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Hamels' fastball was sitting between 88-90 mph in his showcase Friday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
Now that he's healthy, Hamels will almost certainly receive contract offers from MLB clubs, especially contending ones with pitching needs.
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Cole Hamels: Holding showcase
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Hamels will throw for interested teams July 16, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Hamels has had a long and successful career, posting a 3.43 ERA over 15 seasons at the highest level. Exactly what remains in the tank for the 37-year-old lefty is unclear, as he dealt with a shoulder issue for most of last season and wound up making just a single appearance before being shut down again in September. While health concerns have prevented him from finding a team up to this point, it's worth remembering that he was far from falling off a cliff prior to last year, as he posted ERAs of 3.78 and 3.81 in 2018 and 2019. He can fall a fair bit from that level and still be a serviceable backend starter.
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Cole Hamels: Trying to get healthy
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Hamels (shoulder) is working out every day and is focused on getting healthy for the start of the 2021 season, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Arm injuries limited him to one start in 2020 after making 27 starts in 2019. Several teams are interested in signing the veteran and he may hold a showcase for interested parties later in the offseason.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Shuttles to 45-day IL
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The Braves transferred Hamels (shoulder) to the 45-day injured list Sunday.
After experiencing yet another setback with his left shoulder in his Braves debut Sept. 16, Hamels was already expected to be shut down for the season. The move to the 45-day IL officially confirms as much, while simultaneously clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The 36-year-old southpaw will become a free agent this winter and may have to settle for a one-year deal with limited guarantees if he wants to keep his career going.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Shut down again
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Hamels was placed on the 10-day injured list with left shoulder fatigue Monday.
Since the move was made retroactive to Friday, Hamels is technically eligible to return for the playoffs, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com relays that the southpaw has been removed from Atlanta's playoff pool, so that won't be happening. He's been dealing with shoulder injuries dating back to spring training and had finally been cleared to make his Braves debut last week, allowing three runs in 3.1 innings. That could well be the only start he'll make for Atlanta, as he'll be a free agent this offseason. He'll turn 37 in December, and a player of his age coming off a season almost completely lost to injury may not make him a particularly appealing asset on the free-agent market. Hamels can still pitch when healthy, though, as he recorded a 3.79 ERA across the last two seasons. Atlanta recalled Bryse Wilson in a corresponding move.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Throws 52 pitches in debut
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Hamels (0-1) allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two across 3.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Baltimore.
Hamels made his season debut after working from a triceps injury. He worked two scoreless innings, but he appeared to run out of gas in the third frame when he surrendered two doubles and a walk. He was ultimately pulled after 52 pitches. Despite missing the vast majority of the season, Hamels is a candidate for the Braves' playoff rotation, so the team is likely to focus on building him up in time to make a meaningful contribution in October.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Activated for season debut
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The Braves reinstated Hamels (triceps) from the 45-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday in Baltimore.
Atlanta demoted reliever Jasseel De La Cruz to its alternate training site to make room on the active roster for Hamels, who had been bothered by the shoulder/triceps injury dating back to spring training. Since Hamels just started up his throwing program in late August, he isn't yet ready to handle a normal starter's workload. As a result, Atlanta will allow Hamels to build up his pitch count with two or three starts over the final week and a half of the regular season, with the hope that he'll be able to handle a more normal workload during the postseason. Since he tossed three innings in his most recent simulated game, Hamels is aiming to throw around 55-to-60 pitches Wednesday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Starting Wednesday vs. O's
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Hamels (triceps) is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
He threw three simulated innings Friday in his final tune up, so it would be risky to expect Hamels to go deep enough in this start to qualify for the win. By their own admission, the Braves are essentially letting Hamels get his rehab starts in during games that count down the stretch in order to get him ready for the postseason. He has been sidelined all year with shoulder and triceps injuries.
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Braves' Cole Hamels: Continues making progress
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Hamels (triceps) threw three simulated innings Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The veteran lefty continues to work his way back from the shoulder and triceps issues that he's dealt with since spring training. He's expected to be activated to make a start at some point next week against the Orioles or Mets, though given that he's only been built up to three innings, he's unlikely to pitch deep enough to earn a win in his first game back.
