Scout: Cole Hamels to Boston would be a winning trade

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The Boston Red Sox have long been mentioned as an ideal trade partner for the Phillies as they look to peddle Cole Hamels for talent that will fuel their rebuild.

This is not idle chatter. Phillies scouts have spent a year bearing down on the Red Sox’s minor-league system. They’ve checked on Boston’s affiliates this season, and The Boston Globe reported on Thursday that two Phillies scouts watched the Sox’s big-league club get swept in Minneapolis earlier this week.

All signs point to the Red Sox being the team that the Phillies are focused on, though the Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Yankees and others have been and still could be in play as July 31 nears.

This is an important point: It’s not clear whether the Red Sox will make a play for Hamels, who entered this season with four years and $96 million (that could rise to $110 million with a vesting option for 2019) still guaranteed on his contract. Boston has spent the first couple of months of the season slogging along in the American League East with a sub-.500 record, a sputtering offense and an ace-less pitching staff. But if the Red Sox can steady themselves and want to make a run at an October-proven pitcher, they should be able to use some of their minor-league bounty to put together a package that would land Hamels.

So says a rival scout who knows the Red Sox’s system well.

“There’s a deal to be made there, absolutely,” said the scout, who asked not be named. “The AL East is there for the taking. They all could benefit from Hamels. Now, I don’t know what the Red Sox’s plan is. Who knows if their offense will come around. It might not.

“But I think the team with the most resources to get him is Boston. They have the talent and can take the financial hit. The Yankees can do it, but their system is not as good and they’re going to be protective of their prospects. The Red Sox have enough minor-league talent that they can move some of it if they want to make a deal.”

Before listing some of the talent, the scout opined that the Phillies really should deal Hamels this summer. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has often said he’s prepared to hang on to Hamels if he doesn’t get his price, that Hamels is young enough to bridge the rebuild years and contribute when the Phillies are ready to win.

But that’s risky.

“Some people think that’s a good contract; some people think it’s a bad contract,” the scout said. “I think there’s value in getting out of it.

“Look, he’s 31. You saw what happened to (Cliff) Lee and (Roy) Halladay. They went boom, boom like pitchers can and the Phillies have nothing to show for it. The danger of that contract is you’re not going to win anyway. You’re not close to winning. That contract could be a time bomb. There’s more danger in holding on to it than a big-market team ready to win taking it on.”

Any time the Phillies and Red Sox are linked as potential trade partners, catcher Blake Swihart and outfielder Mookie Betts are mentioned. Any team in baseball would like to have them, but they’re both in the big leagues and by all accounts untouchable.

But, in the scout’s opinion, a deal can be made by digging deeper into the Red Sox’s system – if the Phillies are willing to roll the dice on prospects who have upside but are not major-league ready and will require development.

“There’s a lot of talent on their Greenville roster,” said the scout, referring to Boston’s low A team in the South Atlantic League.

The name Rafael Devers jumped off the scout’s tongue.

“He’s a masher, a special bat, exciting,” the scout said. “He drives the ball to all fields. He’s strong.”

Devers, 18, has shortcomings. He is thick-bodied and there are concerns about what type of shape he will be in as he matures. There are also questions about his defense. He’s a third baseman by trade but may need to go to first base and might be best suited for the American League, where he could be a designated hitter.

“He’s a fun hitter to watch,” the scout said. “I don’t know, the Red Sox might think he’s David Ortiz’s replacement. But you get really excited watching him hit. And we all know what a premium power is these days.”

Staying on the Greenville roster, the scout mentioned middle infielders Javier Guerra, 19, and Mauricio Dubon, 20, and pitcher Michael Kopech, 19.

Guerra is a lefty-hitting shortstop, like the Phillies’ top prospect, J.P. Crawford.

“I’d still be interested,” the scout said. “You could move someone to second or make another trade.”

Kopech was the 33rd overall pick in last year’s draft, a big, hard-throwing right-hander.

“He’s raw and he doesn’t have touch and feel, so I don’t think he’s an ace,” the scout said. “But there’s a reason he was drafted in the first round. Great arm.”

Moving up a level from Greenville, the scout likes 20-year-old outfielder Manuel Margot, who has speed, on-base skills and some pop.

“The bat should be there,” the scout said. “Tough out. He should hit.”

If the Phillies still wanted players close to the majors in the package, the Red Sox “have three pitchers in Triple A who’ll pitch in the majors,” the scout said, referring to Brian Johnson, 24, Eduardo Rodriguez, 22, and Henry Owens, 22. Rodriguez made his big-league debut for Boston on Thursday night. The scout rated him as the top guy of the three and said he had mid-rotation potential.

Continuing to run down names, the scout mentioned corner infielder/outfielder Garin Cecchini, 24, and infielder Michael Chavis, 19, as two more potential targets, though not centerpieces.

“I don’t know who the Phillies love in the Red Sox system and I don’t know who the Red Sox love,” the scout said. “But there are eight or 10 players we’ve talked about. If you can find three or four Boston is willing to part with and three or four that the Phillies get excited about, I think there’s a deal to be made.

“This is the kind of deal the Phillies need to make. There are three or four players here that could really improve their system.”

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