Cole Hamels, Phillies Agree on Six-Year, $144 Million Deal

Pitcher Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies have reached a six-year agreement worth $144 million, ESPN has reported.

While the deal has not been officially announced by either the Phillies or Hamels’ agent as of this posting, USA Today writes the contract was agreed upon close to midnight ET after Hamels, 28, completed a physical conducted by the Phillies.

USA Today adds that the deal will also include a vesting option for a seventh year that could make the contract worth in excess of $160 million.

As it stands, Hamel’s new contract — the second largest by any pitcher in baseball, behind only CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees, who signed a seven-year, $161 million deal before the 2009 season — gives him the same annual annual value of $24 million as his Phillies teammate Cliff Lee.

Selected by the Phillies with the 17th pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Cole Hamels is 85-58 with a 3.38 ERA during his seven seasons with Philadelphia.

Hamels’ 2012 numbers are right in line with his career stats, 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA, with 131 K’s in 133 innings.

According to ABC, Hamels had previously revealed that he enjoys playing in Philadelphia and would be honored if he was given the opportunity to emulate one of his childhood heroes, Tony Gwynn, and play his entire career for the same franchise.

CSNPhilly’s Jim Salisbury talks more on the Cole Hamels deal in the video below:

via ESPN