Cole Hamels had several teams pursuing him in free agency, but the veteran left-hander has wasted no time choosing one.
Hamels has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves worth $18 million, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.
Left-hander Cole Hamels and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a one-year, $18 million deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 4, 2019
Hamels should help bolster an Atlanta starting rotation that was already 12th-best in baseball last year with a 4.20 team ERA. The 35-year-old has gone just 16-19 over the past two seasons but had a serviceable 3.81 ERA last year with the Chicago Cubs. He has also been plenty durable despite his age, as he made 27 starts in 2019 and 32 in 2018.
As many as a dozen teams had interest in signing Hamels, so he probably could have signed at least a two-year deal elsewhere. However, he stated early on that he wanted to sign with a World Series contender, and the Braves are the defending NL East champions and have an excellent core in place. They’ll certainly give Hamels a chance to contend in the twilight of his career.
