Giants reportedly making 'strong push' for Cole Hamels - McCovey Chronicles

I think this "Strong push" is merely an attempt to push up the eventual prospect cost to the Dodgers, if he ends up there. Any deal with the Giants would surely include Kyle Crick or Tyler Beede, which I could live with, but also Andrew Susac, which I could not.

from McCovey Chronicles:
Giants reportedly making 'strong push' for Cole Hamels - McCovey Chronicles:

There are complications, true. The first is the Giants can offer quantity over quality, but the Phillies might prefer the quality. Also, of note is that the Giants aren't on Hamels's list of pre-approved trade destinations, which means he might want them to pick up his $20 million option for 2019 in exchange for agreeing to the deal. Even though one of the Giants' selling points is their ability to take that Jon Lester money and shovel it to Hamels without the Phillies kicking in that much, an extra year at $20 million might make them think twice. At least the Dodgers are in a bidding war now. Stupid Dodgers.

'via Blog this'

David Price is a better option and a better fit, at less cost. Mike Leake is a better option and a better fit long-term ,at less cost AND perhaps an Aroldis Chapman chaser.

Give me

• Price
• Leake and / or Chapman 
• Hamels 

in that order. On my desk by Friday, sirs!!!

----

from the Twitter-sphere (or whatever you call it)

bayareasportsguy.com 

The Dodgers are better-suited to pay for a starter like Cole Hamels or David Price, because they have a couple prospects in Julio Urias and Corey Seager who are rated higher than Finnegan. However, Morosi thinks the Giants have some pitchers in the minors that teams might like.

The Dodgers are said to be highly reluctant to move left-hander Julio Urias, but Double-A right-hander Jose De Leon should be ready to join a major-league rotation by next year.

The Giants, meanwhile, have a number of pitching prospects who could be major-league-ready by next year: Tyler Beede, Joe Biagini and Kelvin Marte at Double-A and Keury Mella at high Class A.

Tossing aside the very real possibility that the Tigers won't sell on Price or Yoenis Cespedes (they're only four games behind Minnesota in the Wild Card race), it's hard to believe the Giants have enough to land a superstar like Price.

• Biagini and Marte are pitching quite well for Richmond (in a pitcher-friendly league), but the former is 25 and the latter is 27.
• 
  
• At 21, Mella is a year younger than Beede and he's pitching well in San Jose, but it seems unlikely he'd be a candidate to make a big league rotation next year.
• 
  
• Beede doesn't seem like a guy the Giants would want to trade, and he lasted just 1/3 of an inning today (one hit, three walks, one HBP) while allowing five earned runs, as he came within one pitch of the team-instituted 30-pitch limit. One has to wonder how many scouts were in the stands today in Erie, PA.

If a scout or team really likes Beede, a start like today's (where it appears that he didn't have his normal command) wouldn't have too much impact. But the Giants consider Beede a future starter, perhaps as soon as next season. They also don't want to saddle themselves with another big contract for a pitcher unless he's the perfect guy, so this is almost certainly true:

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Giants Hot-Stove Buzz and Speculation

Let me see if I have this straight, the Giants are:

• "in the picture on James Shields" @ 5 years / $110 million
• "interested in acquiring" Cole Hamels @ $23.5 for next four years + $20 option year 2019 when he'll be 35
• and "haven't talked to, don't plan to" talk to Matt Scherzer

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamelco01.shtml

2015 31 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2016 32 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2017 33 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2018 34 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2019 35 Philadelphia Phillies *$20,000,000

$20M Team Option, $24M Vesting Option, $6M Buyout Vests if he 1) has 400 IP in 2017-18, including 200 IP in 2018, and 2) is not on the disabled list with a shoulder or elbow injury at the end of the 2018 season

Hamels would be the most attractive from a contract versus performance potential comparison with Shields coming in second only because Scherzer is just looking to break the bank. He has Scott Boras as his agent, so go figure. Hamels will likely cost a king's ransom of prospects and seems attracted to San Diego under the "going home" banner. Hamels is from the San Diego area originally and reportedly would not mind ending his career there. So the Padres may have a leg up there and they have both the pieces to make a deal and a GM who is in wheeler-dealer mode right now.

The current signs point to either "Shields or bust" for the Giants with bust looking like the best bet.

from Bleacher Report:
Cole Hamels Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Star Pitcher | Bleacher Report:

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been the subject of numerous trade rumors and reports, as teams look to bolster their rotations with the lefty's services. The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have all expressed interest in acquiring the ace. 

'via Blog this'

from Bleacher Report:
 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2250529-james-shields-rumors-latest-buzz-and-speculation-surrounding-star-pitcher

The final Shields numbers are expected to be close to the five years and $110 million remaining (if the option is picked up) on the Cole Hamels deal, according to one major league source who was privy to Shields’s demands. The Giants and Red Sox are in the picture, and the Yankees may be another suitor.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:

Maybe Cuban phenom switch-hitting, SS-3B Yoan Moncado as a decent consolation prize? Giants odds are 13-1 according to this analysis, but the Yankees and Red Sox are in on this kid, among others.

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2280818-ranking-signing-odds-for-cuban-phenom-yoan-moncadas-top-8-suitors/page/7

Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6'1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet, and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. 

 Different sources had Moncada timed differently in the 60-yard dash, though he ran somewhere in the 6.56- to 6.6-second range. That gives him a 70 for his speed on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, or close to the top of the scale. Moncada reportedly looked better at third and second than he did at shortstop, with enough arm from any infield position. He swung the bat well from both sides of the plate, showing plus raw power both ways. The only negative was that Moncada didn't face live pitching, hitting only off of a BP pitcher. When asked to grade out his tools based on this workout, in combination with previous reports, one scout gave the following grades:

Hit - 60
Power - 60
Speed - 70
Arm - 60
Field - 50

Short-term Shields works, the back end of his contract is going to suck, not the same with Hamels or Scherzer, but they hurt you down the road in other ways. Moncado the risk is he flops, but that seems like a low-risk and the Giants have to win one of these Cuban lotteries, don't they?

Moncado would move the Giants hot-stove league grade from a B-/C+ level to a solid A-/B+ in a hurry. If you knew what Cain and/or Lincecum were going to give you in the next 2-3 year, life would be so much easier. But life is not like that.

Giants fans are looking for one more present under the tree waiting to see if upper management deems them to have been naughty or nice last year. Given the fan support and the results from what has to be a worn out cash register in the Giants back office, woe to management if there isn't at least one more gift to the masses.