Chicago Cubs: Cole Hamels this year’s Justin Verlander?

With the revival of Cole Hamels since he came to Chicago, have the Chicago Cubs found this season’s trade revival prize?

Move over, Manny Machado. When Baltimore Orioles dealt the 4x All-Star and Platinum Glove winner to the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly after the All-Star Game in Washington D.C., it seemed as if the biggest trade deadline acquisition was set in stone. MLB.com’s Mike Petriello voiced the thought everyone had at the time:

"“Machado is almost certainly the most valuable player being traded before this year’s non-waiver Trade Deadline… He’ll almost surely end up being the most valuable player traded in any of the past few Deadlines, really.”"

It’s funny how quickly things change. Just over a month after Petriello claimed Machado would be the trade deadline pickup who would provide the most value to his new team, it is clear that isn’t the case. Instead, that player has been Cole Hamels.

Hamels was having a rough season with the Texas Rangers before the deadline, looking as if the 34-year old was a mere shadow of the pitcher he used to be. Statistically-speaking, he was one of the worst starting pitchers in the league.

But then the Chicago Cubs traded for him at the trade deadline, and since then the script has flipped. In his five starts so far for the North Siders, “Hollywood” Hamels has gone 4-0 with a 0.79 (!!!!) ERA.

Hamels’ microscopic earned run average is indicative enough of how phenomenal he’s been with the Cubs, but the underlying numbers are equally as telling. After being the pitcher who gave up the 3rd-most homers per 9 innings with the Rangers, he hasn’t given up a single long ball in 34 innings as a Cub.

Furthermore, Hamels has a 0.94 WHIP, 6.35 Hits/9, and a league-leading .221 opp. slugging %. From the time he’s arrived in the Windy City, Cole Hamels has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and by far the best trade deadline pickup.

The southpaw’s dominance with the North Siders makes one think, “When’s the last time we’ve seen a deadline-dealt pitcher do so well for his new team?”.

Well, it hasn’t been that long, because Justin Verlander was Hamels-esque after he was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros. Like Hamels, a 34-year old Verlander wasn’t having his best season with the Tigers, but he was untouchable as soon as he arrived in Houston and was a key component to the Astros’ World Series-winning run. JV limited Los Angeles Dodgers hitters to a measly .128 batting average in the Fall Classic, which has left L.A. residents beefing with the ace even to this day.

Let’s take a look at the differences and similarities between the two: