Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies reached an agreement on a new six-year contract extension, worth $144 million. Hamels would have become a free agent after this season but this deal will make sure to keep him in 
Philadelphia for a long time. According to ESPN, the Hamels' contract is the largest in Philadelphia history.
Recently, Hamels has been part of MLB trade rumors but he said all along he enjoys pitching for the Phillies and wanted to stay in Philadelphia. The only MLB pitching contract higher than this one was when the New York Yankees signed CC Sabathia in 2008 to a $161 million deal. The next year, the Yankees won the World Series by beating Philadelphia.
Hamels is almost like a luxury for the Phillies. The team also has Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay on the roster, giving them arguably the best top three pitchers in baseball. While the stars have not been outstanding in 2012, Hamels remains the best of the three. He leads the Phillies in wins (11-4), ERA (3.23) and strikeouts (131) on the season. Meanwhile Cliff Lee (1-6, 3.95) and Roy Halladay (4-5, 4.32) both have losing records.
Over his seven-year career, all spent with Philadelphia, Hamels has an 85-58 record with a career 3.38 ERA.
The next question surrounds his fellow starters. With Hamels locked up to such a large contract, will Philadelphia look at cutting ties with either Lee or Halladay? There are six days left until the non-waiver MLB trade deadline and the Phillies could still make a move. The Texas Rangers are looking for another starter, and wanted Hamels, but they might be willing to swing a trade for Lee, who helped them make it to their first World Series appearance two years ago.
Is Cole Hamels worth the $144 million the Philadelphia Phillies are paying him and does it mean one of their other stars are headed out the door?
Images from Wikimedia Commons
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