Report: Dodgers Sign SP Cole Hamels to Major League Deal

Pitcher Cole Hamels signed a contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times’s Mike DiGiovanna. 

Hoping to return to a Major League mound for the first time this year, Hamels will report to the Dodgers’ team complex in Arizona to “build up arm strength” before joining the MLB club, according to DiGiovanna. The guarantee on Hamels’s deal is $1 million, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Hamels, 37, pitched just three innings in 2020, but he brings a wealth of experience to Los Angeles. The four-time All-Star won World Series MVP with the Phillies in 2008, and he’s tallied 163 career wins in 15 seasons. Hamels posted a 3.81 ERA with the Cubs in 2019, his last full MLB season. 

Los Angeles’s rotation has been a spot of instability for the defending World Series champions in 2021. Clayton Kershaw is still on the injured list with a shoulder injury, while Trevor Bauer is currently on administrative leave as MLB investigates sexual assault allegations against him. Pitcher Dustin May, 23, was slated to be a major part of Los Angeles’s rotation as well in 2021, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in May.

Last week, the Dodgers acquired Nationals ace Max Scherzer in a blockbuster trade. Scherzer is slated to make his Los Angeles debut on Wednesday night. 

The Dodgers enter Wednesday night sitting in second place in the NL West. They trail the Giants by 3.5 games.

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