Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Los Angeles Signs Veteran LHP Pitcher Cole Hamels

On the morning after a loss to the Houston Astros, the Dodgers are rumored to be close to signing former Cy Young Award contending pitcher, Cole Hamels, according to Jon Heyman.

Hamels is 37 years old and was recently rumored to be headed to the Phillies, but with his Southern California roots playing for Rancho Bernardo High School, it’s understandable why Hamels might have had a change of heart. The Dodgers were one of the teams reported to be at his showcase earlier this month. 



Hamels has pitched for the Phillies, Cubs, Texas and the Braves and has a 163-122 record with 3.43 ERA. The Dodgers have lost their off-season acquisition Trevor Bauer to off the field issues and Clayton Kershaw is dealing with arm issues that the team and Kershaw seem to be taking slowly.

The latest update is that not only are the Dodgers interested, but they have signed Hamels to a free agent deal. The LA Times’ Mike DiGiovanna tweets that Hamels signed a deal and will head to Arizona to build up arm strength. 

Hamels will be another arm available to Dave Roberts as the team struggles through starter health. In addition to Kershaw’s injury, Tony Gonsolin also remains a mystery in 2021. Having a veteran available with his playoff experience will only play up down the stretch. 

Dodgers Related: Scherzer Acknoledgees Lofty Expectations in LA

With the current addition of Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer and All-Star shortstop, Trea Turner, there are definitely a lot of changes and adjustments for the team to make this final push towards the playoffs.

Now, what can we do about the offense?

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33 Comments

      1. I agree and add sending Gavin Lux down to get him out of his slump(when he finishes DL).

  1. Work on putting the ball in play. What an embarrassment this offense is. 13 runs one game and can’t DO A THING the next game and this type of inconsistency has been going on all year. I don’t really see any deep October run this year.

    1. I agree. Even when the offense gets a couple of runs the bull pen gives up the game.
      I guess it’s back to where I have been for many years as a Dodger fan. “Wait ’til next year!”

  2. Sure, it’s a flyer, but that is a space on the 40 man that might be needed later. As Paul noted above, the offense is the current issue. We need to get beyond the either score 10 runs in one game or score 10 runs in four games results that we have had this season. On the other hand, Hamel’s lifetime BA of .169 outpaces what Bellinger is doing this year: .165.

  3. When you need 27 outs to try and win a baseball game but start out with 8 outs (4 from Bellinger, 4 from the pitcher), it’s extremely difficult to do it with 19 outs. I cringe every time I see Bellinger in the lineup because it speaks volumes of Roberts’s stubbornness and lack of sympathy for the fans and the other players on the team that are trying so hard to win. To hit Pollock yesterday in the 8th hole behind Bellinger cannot sit too well with him. It’s disrespectful to say the least. I get that McCullers was righty and Roberts preferred the lefty bat hitting ahead of Pollock. But the lefty/righty advantage is out the window when you’ve got a hitter that is so lost at the plate he can’t hit a watermelon if you throw it at him.

    1. AMJR, well said. Bellinger is a .160 hitter and Roberts continues to coddle him and IDK how many more games we have to see Bellinger tank at the dish before something is done with him.. Amazing lost cause here.

        1. Bum4ever, it was an infield single he legged out. In fact, his last 3 hits have been infield singles.

    2. To put 2 of your hottest hitters @ the lower end of the order is an insult to those guys who have proved the whole month they deserved better. Leave CT3 @ lead off where he was doing well, and move Mookie down until his hip is better ( can’t run @ 100% yet) ; put the hot Pollock @ 5 behind #4 Muncy; #2 should bring Seags to his customary spot where he has been comfortable; drop Smith down to 7 (the grind of the season is taking a toll for the catcher); and finally B. Mck. for Belli in RF, until Trea arrives then the lineup can be adjusted. Muncy @ 4 will make him back to being aggressive instead of taking good pitches.
      CT3
      Seager
      JT
      Muncy
      Pollock
      Mookie
      Smith
      McKinney

      1. That’s a winning lineup, Shaka. Of course Trea has to crack that lineup somewhere, maybe
        batting at 2 or 5, playing SS or OF. Plenty of options available.

        1. Yes options all over, but after last night’s anemic performance, that batting order was a head scratcher. Guys were on base but the wrong type of hitter kept coming up to bat, need to shake the lineup a bit to get more production.
          By the way, no matter what starters the Dodgers pickup, if they cannot score more than 1-3 runs a game, they are wasting the performance of that starter. Urias, and Buehler, would be leaders in wins today and even the BP games the pitchers did their job in holding fort; it’s this supposedly all-star lineup not doing their job….. no excuses ! Can’t score more than 3 runs w/ this multi- million dollar lineup? FO have given the weapons, use it properly!

          1. very good points — I completely agree. and add McKinney to the list of do not start, because they do not hit (hitting .116). replace him with McKinstry.

      2. When Trea Turner arrives with his 320+ batting average, he needs to be one of the first 3 batters. By doing so, he will get more at-bats per game. We desperately need someone with a 300 BA to be batting more.

  4. Although they can’t bear all the weight for the Dodgers’ offensive performance, Betts and Seager, like last season, are going to have to step way, way up, for this team to play up to it’s capability, offensively. The next 2-3 weeks will likely, tell the tale. Maybe, you cut both players a little slack because they both just came back from injury, with Seager, obviously, needing more time to get back in the groove with the bat, but by mid August or so, both have got to be leading the way.
    It will be very interesting to see if T. Turner, once he joins the club, continues his great season with the bat, or if he struggles to some degree, with what is feeling like a systemic issue with this teams’ offensive inconsistency that effects every player.

    1. I am one who has run out of cutting slack for Cody. Until he gets it through his thick head that he needs to drastically change his stance and approach he will never again be a big factor in this lineup or for this team. I will almost feel better if he was hitting 9th. Hell, our pitchers have a better plate approach than he does. It’s long past time to keep inserting him into the lineup. Until either Freidman or Kasten tell Roberts where the bear craps in the woods he is going to keep inserting Cody in the lineup BOTTOM LINE – ROBERTS NEEDS TO GO!

  5. Regarding the Dodgers picking up Hamels:
    We can make of it what we like, but it tells me, that the concern over the health of Kershaw and Gonsolin, plus the likelihood of Bauer not throwing another pitch for the Dodgers, is high enough that the Dodgers have signed Hamels as an “emergency pick up”. Certainly, the team is hopeful that Price does reasonably well in his role as a SP, but he’s a question mark in terms of consistency for the remainder of the season. The bottom line is that, in the here and now, the Dodgers have 3 SP’s they can count on and even among the 3, they have to be mindful of managing the workload of Urias and Buehler.
    Acquiring Hamels, suggests to me, that Friedman has already determined that the situation with Kershaw, Gonsolin and even Price is not on solid enough footing. That’s worrisome…

    1. Willie&TommyD, you are exactly right. I was wrong about Kershaw. I thought they were just giving him a blow. But this move makes me think they really are worried about Kershaw and/or Gonsolin.

  6. We just can’t win when the Giants lose! Padres are closing the gap and unfortunately we’ll be in third place before long!

  7. I hope Roberts ask every batter why they are not able score any runs. Like I said before something is very wrong

    1. It’s their hitting philosophy needs to change. They are taught to launch and be the hero, instead of going w/ the pitch, get the oppo hit or up the middle, swing @ the good pitches that are constantly missed, and pass the baton.

  8. Cole Hammels huh… ok well Dodgers trying to stop the tide of injuries. what a year i s there any player that hasn’t hit the IL at least once this year? Get healthy Dodgers – the wins will follow. Gnats are catchable, pods are shot

  9. I cannot figure why, with the left side open because of the shift and with the offense being anemic, batters don’t slap, hit or bunt to that side.
    No, they swing for the fences, either striking out or popping it up!

  10. Take Belli out of the lineup NOW. There are players on the bench that hit better than him, even the pitchers have a higher BA. He needs to be in OKC ASAP

  11. Belli and Lux are so far below the Mendoza line it’s hurting the team to have either one in the lineup. Both need to be in OKC ASAP

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