Cole Hamels and the Dodgers: 10 things you need to know.

Cole Hamels

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels has been linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors. (Getty Images)

A lot of people are wondering about Cole Hamels and the Dodgers today.

A lot of people were wondering about Jon Lester and the Dodgers a week ago, so I wrote this. In hindsight, there was probably more smoke than fire around that rumor. That appears to be the case again with Hamels. Here are some reasons why, and some other things to know about the 30-year-old lefty:

1. Hamels grew up in San Diego and counts himself a disenchanted Padres fan.

2. His contract includes a limited no-trade clause, a list of 10 teams to which he can be traded. Hamels can change the list every year before submitting it to the Phillies on November 1. The Dodgers are reportedly one of the 10 teams on his OK list.

3. Jimmy Rollins had no-trade rights too. His were even less restrictive than Hamels’. Since he had 10 years of service time in the league and the last five with one team (actually 14 — the longest tenure of any active player with his current team, before he was traded to the Dodgers) Rollins had to give his approval before the Phillies could execute any trade. So why did Rollins approve the deal to the Dodgers? Three days ago, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com wrote this:

Rollins may be open to [approving a trade] now because the Phillies have charted a rebuilding course and aren’t expected to contend for the next season or two. Playing for a contender such as the Dodgers would be a prerequisite for Rollins’ OKing a deal.

Hamels, like Rollins, won a World Series with the Phillies in 2008. In fact, he was the ’08 Series MVP. He lost a World Series with the Phillies the following year. If he wants to get back any time soon (Hamels turns 31 on December 27), Hamels might need to OK a trade to a contender.

4. That’s easier said than done. The Phillies would almost certainly need to pay a portion of the guaranteed $100 million left on Hamels’ contract. (It becomes $114 million if Hamels’ option for the 2019 season vests.) The Dodgers could potentially afford that kind of commitment, but you wonder how many teams on Hamels’ list of 10 can.

5. David Murphy of Philly.com wondered the same thing and wrote this yesterday:

Look, it was always unlikely that Hamels would be dealt, for the precise reasons that we are now watching in action. Star pitchers simply do not get traded with five years and $90 million remaining on their contracts, because any team that can accommodate such money can also afford to sign an elite starter on the free agent market. The Phillies’ best chance at the package they are looking for will involve shipping Hamels to a team with some financial constraints and then eating some of his contract in order for that team to accommodate him. That’s just how it works.

6. Hamels’ wife was once a contestant on Survivor.

7. Hitters made contact with Hamels’ pitches on only 75.6 percent of swings last year. Only 10 pitchers had a lower rate (including Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke).

8. Hamels parted his hair down the middle as a senior in high school.

9. His ERA-plus of 125 ranks fourth among all active pitchers. (Kershaw is first.)

10. Hamels and his wife adopted a daughter from Ethiopia.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.