By Adam Bittner / The Pittsburgh Press
The Phillies’ Cole Hamels would be a great fit in the Pirates’ rotation, or the rotation of any other contender for that matter. Through nine starts this season, he has a 3.24 ERA and is striking out a robust 9.6 hitters per nine innings, solid numbers for a lefty who, at 31, is in the prime of his career. What general manager wouldn’t want that kind of anchor for his pitching staff?
The problem for the Pirates in acquiring him, as 93.7 The Fan’s Colin Dunlap on Monday advocated they do sooner rather than later, is that the Phillies aren’t such a great fit as a trading partner, even as they continue to scuffle with a roster of fading, overpriced stars of yesteryear.