Chicago Cubs Rumors: What will become of Cubs’ 2018 acquisitions?

Cole Hamels

The Cubs brought in veteran left-handed starter Cole Hamels shortly before the trade deadline, and they got a steal of a deal. The Cubs gave up two minor league pitchers and a player to be named later to get Hamels so he could solidify their pitching rotation.

Although Hamels was having a rough season with the Texas Rangers up until that point, a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered. He won each of his first four starts as a Cub and had a 0.79 ERA. Hamels had turned his season around and he was a key part of the Cubs success in August and the start of September.

While Hamels started to get hit a bit more as the season came to a close, he was still solid as a starter. It seemed as if Hamels was surely about to be a free agent in 2019 as his contract has a $20 million team option for the season. Even though the Cubs have a high payroll, Hamels was seen as nothing more than a rental.

That outlook has changed now as the Cubs still need to shore up their starting rotation for next season. Hamels comes with a high price, but the team option may just be worth it. Hamels seemed to fit right in with the Cubs and pitched very well against the National League.

If the Cubs don’t want to pick up Hamels’ option, it will cost the team $6 million to buy out his contract. It doesn’t really seem worth it for them to pay that much for Hamels to not be back next season.

The Cubs need all the pitching help they can get, and Hamels will hopefully be just as successful next year as he was in 2018.