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CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs exercised their 2019 option on left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels on Friday, consolidating their rotation for next year. They traded left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly and a player who will be named later by the Texas Rangers.
The $ 19 million option brings Hamels' contract to $ 157 million for seven years. Hamels, who will turn 35 in December, has signed a 4-3 record with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts after his acquisition during a Texas deal on July 27. If the Cubs had declined the option and paid a $ 6 million buyout, the Rangers would have paid the Cubs an extra $ 6 million.
Hamels gives manager Joe Maddon a large group of novice pitchers as the Cubs attempt their fifth consecutive playoff run. Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish are also expected to return, as Mike Montgomery and Tyler Chatwood wait in the wings.
Hamels, a former first-round pick, made his league debut with Philadelphia in 2006. The left-hander is 156-114 with a points average at 3.40 in 13 seasons.
He was perhaps working on the worst season of his career when Chicago earned him right-handed Eddie Butler, minor league pitcher Rollie Lacy and another player. He was 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts with the Rangers in the last row at the time of the exchange, but the Cubs felt that the change of scenery and a pennant race could Help get back on track.
They were right.
Hamels had an instant impact in Chicago with a 4-0 record with an average of .79 in his first five starts with the team. He was undefeated with the Cubs until he was seriously hit by a loss to Arizona in his 10th start on September 19th.
When the wild card game of the NL had extra rounds, Hamels made only his second major league appearance. He replied with two scoreless innings in Chicago's 2-1 loss to Colorado. He is 7-6 with an ERA 3.41 in 17 appearances in the playoffs.
The option completes the agreement signed by Philadelphia with Philadelphia in July 2012, bringing the total value to $ 157 million over seven years. The southpaw is 156-114 with an average of 3.40 in 13 big seasons.
Hamels hit 13 in a draw at Wrigley Field on his last trip to Philadelphia in 2015. He was traded to Texas six days later and helped the Rangers win two AL West titles.
Smyly, 29, signed a two-year contract with the Cubs in December 2017, after being operated on by Tommy John in June 2017. The southpaw is 31-27 with two saves and a save of 3.74 over five seasons.
Earlier this week, the Cubs exercised their $ 6.25 million option for Pedro Strop and his reliever, Brandon Kintzler, purchased his $ 5 million player option.
Kintzler had a silver medal of 7.00 in 25 games with Chicago after being acquired in a deal on July 31 with Washington. The Cubs declined their team option of $ 10 million on Tuesday. Strop, one of baseball's most consistent respite players since his acquisition of Baltimore in July 2013, has a 6-1 record with 13 saves and a 2.26 silver in 60 appearances last season. .
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