Phillies’ plan A dollarwise

Roadblocks:

In a recent Twitter conversation, a reader expressed his heartened interest in bringing back Hamels next season. And some facts did not extinguish his hopes, but research also indicates additional difficulties.

On the surface, Hamels’ agreement has a club option of $20 million for ’19 or a $6 million buyout. And which one the Texas Rangers decide on will depend on his stats for ’18.

The Phillies paid $17.75 million of the $82.1 million remaining on the southpaw’s deal: 21.3 percent to complete the 2015 trade. In other words, the Rangers’ financial situation then and probably now will be a factor as well.

Hamels, 34, is the age Cliff Lee was in his last stellar campaign. And Roy Halladay had his dominant last summer at 35. But last year, the homegrown left-hander only had 22 starts with an 11-6 record and a 4.20 ERA for 148 innings.

Additionally, if the Rangers drop out of contention for a second wild card, they could move Hamels in mid-July. And a surprising Phils team could consider him, but they’ll have competition.

Keep in mind, when Allen returned in the mid-1970s, many fans anticipated the Richie Allen from his first Philadelphia stint. And the same is true of expectations for an aging Hamels: He was 31 when he twirled his farewell no-hitter.

"FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “When you go out on the mound and you’re confident in your body, you feel you can do anything.” – Cole “Hollywood” Hamels"